Thantri’s Bail: Let the High Court Examine Whether There Is Anything Behind the Trial Court’s Remarks, Says Minister V.N. Vasavan
Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan has criticized the trial court’s decision to grant bail to Thantri Kandararu Rajeevar in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Speaking to media, Vasavan said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested the Thantri based on directions from the High Court, and questioned whether the High Court should examine if there was any reason behind the trial court granting bail despite this.
He also stated that details of a meeting held between the Thantri and a BJP leader would soon be revealed.
Minister V.N. Vasavan explained that the Division Bench of the High Court — the highest court in the state — had ordered the arrests only after thoroughly examining the SIT investigation. He added that, according to Supreme Court guidelines, courts are not expected to examine the merits of a case while considering a bail application. The remarks made by the trial court, he said, go beyond Supreme Court rulings, and the High Court should look into whether there was any other factor behind the decision. He made these remarks in his response to Media.
The minister’s reaction comes amid allegations raised by both the Congress and the BJP, inside and outside the Assembly, claiming that the Thantri’s arrest in the Sabarimala gold theft case was unnecessary and that he had been falsely implicated. Critics argued that the bail granted was not statutory bail due to delay in filing the charge sheet, and that the Thantri had been unnecessarily kept in jail for 40 days.
However, the CPI(M) alleged that the Thantri had involvement in the gold theft case, and Earlier in the Assembly, Minister M.B. Rajesh questioned why the Thantri deserved special consideration.