Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: Ajikumar Gets Bail; PS Prasanth Bail Plea Rejected
Kollam: Kollam: A Vigilance court in Kollam on Saturday rejected the bail application of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth while granting bail to former board member A. Ajikumar in the Sabarimala temple gold loss case.
Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit C.S. rejected Prasanth’s bail plea but granted bail to Ajikumar, taking his medical condition into consideration. Both are the 17th and 18th accused, respectively, in the case involving the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka sculptures at Sabarimala temple. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested them on July 23. Prasanth was taken into custody first, followed by Ajikumar, who was summoned for questioning. The two were questioned together before their arrests were formally recorded.
The arrests were made in connection with the removal of the Dwarapalaka panels for gold plating in 2025. According to the SIT, sending the panels to Chennai for re-plating was part of an alleged conspiracy to conceal the gold theft that took place in 2019. The investigation also found the involvement of the then Devaswom Board leadership in granting the required administrative approvals and processing the related files.
Apart from the Sabarimala gold loss case, Prasanth and Ajikumar are also accused in a case related to alleged irregularities in the procurement of ghee for Sabarimala. A Vigilance investigation found serious irregularities in the tender process for procuring ghee from Milma and alleged that improper interventions were made under Prasanth’s leadership to facilitate the contract. Following these findings, Prasanth and Ajikumar were named as accused in the case.