Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: Former TDB President N. Vasu Granted Statutory Bail; ED Summons Jayasree, Kalpesh, and Actor Jayaram for Interrogation; SIT Opposes Bail Plea
The Kollam Vigilance Court on Wednesday granted statutory bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu in the Sabarimala gold theft case after the 90-day remand period expired.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has alleged that N. Vasu served as the Devaswom Commissioner from February 1, 2018, to March 14, 2019, and held key administrative responsibilities during the period under investigation. Unnikrishnan Potti has been named as the first accused in the case.
According to the SIT, Vasu and other officials committed serious administrative lapses that led to the disappearance of the gold. Investigators said that the gold slabs removed from the temple doorframes were initially described as copper in a letter that Vasu forwarded to the Devaswom Board seeking approval. The Board approved the request on February 26, 2019, and subsequently decided on March 19 to hand over the slabs to Unnikrishnan Potty.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has intensified its probe into the alleged Sabarimala gold theft case by issuing notices to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) secretary S. Jayasree and an alleged intermediary, Kalpesh. Both have been directed to appear for questioning at the agency’s Kochi office next week as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
According to officials, the ED has also summoned actor Jayaram for interrogation over his alleged association and suspected financial transactions with the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti. The summons follows the circulation of videos reportedly showing the actor taking part in a puja organised in Chennai in 2019 by Potti, during which temple artefacts later linked to the case were allegedly used for gold plating purposes.
Investigators suspect irregularities in the handling and documentation of temple gold linked to the plating of artefacts. It is alleged that S. Jayasree made corrections in official board meeting minutes related to the process. Kalpesh is accused of transferring gold from Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm that carried out gold plating work on temple artefacts, to a gold merchant in Bellary identified as Govardhan.
Meanwhile, the special investigation team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court to probe the case has approached the Supreme Court to oppose the anticipatory bail plea filed by Jayasree. Earlier, the High Court rejected a similar plea, observing that her role in the case appeared to be prima facie established based on available materials.
The ED’s Kochi unit registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) last month under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency had begun preliminary inquiries in October after indications of possible money laundering emerged during the broader investigation.
Subsequently, the ED filed a petition before the Kollam Vigilance Court seeking custody of documents related to the case. In its petition, the agency argued that alleged acts including forgery, misappropriation of temple gold, and suspected laundering activities connected to Sabarimala fall under Section 467 of the Indian Penal Code — a scheduled offence under the PMLA — thereby giving the ED jurisdiction to proceed with its financial investigation.
Further questioning and document analysis are expected in the coming weeks as multiple agencies continue parallel probes into the alleged irregularities.