“Must not enter Pathanamthitta, must not leave Kerala”: Tantri released on bail in both cases
Kollam: In the Sabarimala gold theft case, bail has been granted to Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru, who was lodged at Poojappura Central Jail. Arguments regarding his bail in both the Dwarapalaka and Kattilappadi cases had been completed earlier. The order was issued by the Kollam Vigilance Court On Wednesday.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had argued that the Tantri’s approval was responsible for the alleged irregularities. However, the court granted bail after observing that the prosecution failed to establish evidence of criminal conspiracy. The remand report had alleged that the Tantri aided the removal of gold plates from the temple, supported ritual violations, and silently consented to fraud.
The court noted that the prosecution could not produce evidence proving conspiracy. The SIT had claimed that the Tantri held investments worth crores in a private institution, but failed to present proof of financial transactions. The defence argued that “silent consent” and conspiracy are legally different, and that the Tantri possesses only ritual authority and no administrative powers. Reference was also made to an earlier High Court order related to the Vaikom temple clarifying the limits of a Tantri’s authority. The defence further alleged that political vendetta lay behind the action against him, citing his stance during the Sabarimala women’s entry controversy.
Bail was granted with strict conditions:
- He must not leave Kerala
- He is prohibited from entering Pathanamthitta district
- His passport must be surrendered before the court
- He must appear before the SIT every Tuesday and Saturday
- He must not speak to the media
- Two sureties of ₹2 lakh each must be submitted
- He must not influence witnesses
The SIT had alleged that Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala theft case, earlier served as Melshanthi at the Sriramapura Ayyappa Temple in Karnataka when Kandararu Rajeevaru was the Tantri there. Due to this association, Potti reportedly worked as Keezshanthi at Sabarimala between 2004 and 2008. The SIT claimed the Tantri played a key role in bringing him to Sabarimala.
According to the SIT, the Tantri failed to inform the Devaswom Board about ritual violations and did not prevent the handing over of gold plates to Unnikrishnan Potti, thereby giving criminally culpable silent approval and participating in a conspiracy. The investigation team opposed bail stating that witness statements and evidence existed linking him to the crime.
However, the Tantri maintained that he had been falsely implicated. He told the court that his responsibilities were limited strictly to ritual matters and that he had no authority over administrative affairs of the Devaswom Board. Earlier, key accused including Unnikrishnan Potti had secured statutory bail due to delays in filing the charge sheet. In contrast, the Tantri received bail on the 41st day after his arrest.
Following his release from jail, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to summon him for questioning soon.
The defence also argued that no primary evidence had been produced against the Tantri and that the arrest was politically motivated. His lawyer claimed that decisions taken by the Tantri during the 2019 Sabarimala women’s entry issue had gone against the government’s position, and that subsequent legal actions, including his arrest, stemmed from that hostility.