Kollam, A court here on Thursday granted statutory bail to Unnikrishnan Patti in the second case related to the Sabarimala gold loss incident.
Court granted statutory bail to Unnikrishnan Patti in second Sabarimala gold loss caseKollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit CS granted Patti bail in the case of loss of gold from the door frame of Srikovil.
The bail was granted as the Special Investigation Team investigating the case failed to file the chargesheet within 90 days of Patti’s arrest, which would have made him eligible for statutory bail.
Potti had earlier granted statutory bail in the case of loss of gold from Dwarpalak idol plates.
If granted bail in both cases, Patti will be released from jail.
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He became the first accused in both cases and the fourth arrested person to be released from custody in connection with the incident.
Potti sought permission from the Travancore Devaswam Board to replace the gold-clad artefact, which was later approved in 2019.
The artefacts were subsequently taken to Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm, where they were gold plated.
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The SIT claimed that gold was removed from the artefacts during the replacement process.
The court also extended the remand of Tantri Kandararu Rajivaru, who was produced through video conferencing.
Rajivaru has applied for bail, which will be considered on February 9.
Meanwhile, former TDB Thiruvavaranam commissioner KS Baiju approached the vigilance court seeking statutory bail in both cases.
Baiju is the seventh accused in the Dwarpalka gold loss case and the fourth accused in the Srikovil doorframe gold loss case.
His bail plea will be heard on February 11.
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The Kerala High Court, which had ordered the formation of the SIT to probe the Sabarimala gold loss incident, recently expressed satisfaction with the progress of the probe, even as some of the accused became eligible for statutory bail due to the delay in filing chargesheets.
The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating a money laundering case related to the missing gold case.
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