The Kerala High Court on Wednesday said the Special Investigation Team probing the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple was progressing well and that there was no immediate need to transfer the case to the CBI.
The observation came during hearings on a batch of petitions, including one filed by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, seeking a CBI investigation into the matter.
A bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar said it was aware of the work being carried out by the SIT, noting that the team was putting in substantial effort, according to court sources.
The court’s remarks are seen as a setback for the Congress-led UDF opposition, which has alleged interference by the Chief Minister’s Office and delays in filing the charge sheet.
The UDF has disrupted proceedings in the state Assembly over the issue on Tuesday and Wednesday. At the same time, the court’s assessment lends weight to the ruling LDF’s position that the investigation is moving in the right direction.
The bench also said that the SIT was a good unit with competent officers and they will not demoralise them by questioning their work, the sources said.
The court also pointed out that it was actively monitoring the investigation and was aware of all the things unearthed by the SIT, they said.
The SIT is probing two cases related to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala.
It has made 12 arrests in the cases till date, and of the arrested accused, three are out on statutory bail due to the delay in filing the charge sheet within the stipulated time of 90 days from arrest.
Prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty has also secured statutory bail in both cases and is expected to be released once he executes the bail bonds.