Unnikrishnan Gets Bail but Remains in Jail in Kattilappalli Case; High Court Rejects Bail Pleas of Govardhan, Padmakumar and Murari Babu
In the Sabarimala gold theft case, bail has been granted to the main accused, Unnikrishnan Potti. The bail was allowed in the Dwarapalaka sculpture case. The first bail in the gold theft case has now been granted by the Kollam Vigilance Court. Although Unnikrishnan Potti has secured bail in the Dwarapalaka sculpture case, he will not be released from jail as the remand period continues in the Kattilappalli case. The court will also consider the bail plea of Murari Babu. The bail application was filed citing that the SIT has not yet submitted the charge sheet.
Meanwhile, the High Court has dismissed the bail pleas of three accused who are in remand in the Sabarimala gold theft case. The bail applications of Bellary-based jewellery owner Govardhan, former Travancore Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar, and former administrative officer B. Murari Babu were rejected by a single bench headed by Justice A. Badaruddeen. The SIT had earlier informed the High Court that the main accused Unnikrishnan Potti, Naga Govardhan, and Pankaj Bhandari had engaged in a criminal conspiracy.
The SIT had pointed out that a wide-ranging conspiracy had been hatched and that the gold theft was an organized crime. In the report submitted opposing the bail pleas, the SIT stated that the accused had also planned to steal gold from other gold-covered panels. The High Court dismissed the bail pleas after considering the prosecution’s argument that granting bail to the accused would adversely affect the investigation of the case.