4 months ago
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A tribunal successful Kollam, Kerala, connected Thursday (February 5, 2026) granted statutory bail to Unnikrishnan Potti successful the 2nd lawsuit related to the Sabarimala golden nonaccomplishment incident.
Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit C.S. granted bail to Mr. Potti successful the lawsuit pertaining to the nonaccomplishment of golden from the doorway frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
The bail was granted arsenic the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the lawsuit failed to record a chargesheet wrong 90 days of Mr. Potti’s arrest, making him eligible for statutory bail.
Mr. Potti had earlier been granted statutory bail successful the lawsuit related to the nonaccomplishment of golden from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol plates.
With bail granted successful some cases, Mr. Potti volition beryllium released from jail.
He is the archetypal accused successful some cases and becomes the 4th arrested idiosyncratic to beryllium released from custody successful transportation with the incident.
It was Mr. Potti who had approached the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) seeking support for replating gold-clad artefacts, which was aboriginal approved successful 2019.
The artefacts were subsequently taken to Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm, wherever the golden plating was carried out.
The SIT has claimed that golden was diverted from the artefacts during the replating process.
The tribunal besides extended the remand of Tantri (chief priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru, who was produced done video conferencing.
Mr. Rajeevaru has filed a bail petition, which volition beryllium considered connected February 9.
Meanwhile, erstwhile TDB Thiruvabharanam Commissioner K S Baiju has approached the Vigilance tribunal seeking statutory bail successful some cases.
Mr. Baiju is the seventh accused successful the Dwarapalaka golden nonaccomplishment lawsuit and the 4th accused successful the Sreekovil doorway framework golden nonaccomplishment case.
His bail petition volition beryllium considered connected February 11.
The Kerala High Court, which had directed the constitution of the SIT to probe the Sabarimala golden nonaccomplishment incident, had precocious expressed restitution implicit the advancement of the investigation, adjacent arsenic immoderate of the accused became eligible for statutory bail owed to delays successful filing the chargesheets.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is besides probing a money-laundering lawsuit related to the golden nonaccomplishment case.
