Sabarimala gold theft: No anticipatory bail for S Jayasree and Sreekumar

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court’s Devaswom Bench has rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of S. Jayasree, the fourth accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case and former secretary of the Travancore Devaswom Board, and S. Sreekumar, the sixth accused and former Administrative Officer. Justice A. Badharudeen directed both accused to surrender before the investigation officer and cooperate with the probe. Jayashree is a native of Thiruvalla, and Sreekumar is from Chempazhanthy.

The court said that the theft of 4,541 grams of gold from the precious objects at Sabarimala was the result of a large-scale conspiracy, and that several major links connected to Unnikrishnan Potty were yet to be uncovered. The court observed that the accused, including the petitioners, must be arrested and questioned in custody. Granting anticipatory bail would affect the investigation, the court noted.

Sreekumar argued that he had only signed as a witness in the mahazar prepared on July 19, 2019, for handing over the gold-plated sheets. He said he had joined the post only two days earlier and had no role in the irregularity. But the court said that as the officer responsible for the custody of valuables, he should have examined the contents of the mahazar and clarified any doubts. Even if he was not directly part of the conspiracy, charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act could still apply. The court rejected his plea accordingly.

Jayasree issued the order
Jayasree had issued the order on July 5, 2019, to hand over the gold-coated sheets from the Dwarapalaka idols to Unnikrishnan Potty after recording them as copper sheets. She argued that she only implemented the Devaswom Board’s decision and had no role in the crime. However, the Special Investigation Team pointed out that according to the Devaswom Manual, the Administrative Officer is the custodian of temple valuables, and the Secretary is the Chief Administrator. Handling all files, the secretary had a clear role in the conspiracy, the SIT stated.

The court noted that Jayasree had 35 years of service. If she were innocent, she would have corrected the record when the gold-coated sheets were wrongly described as copper. Since she did not do so, it can be presumed that she had prior knowledge of the irregularity.

Jayasree also cited health concerns, stating she had undergone a kidney transplant. The High Court recorded the SIT’s assurance that necessary medical care would be provided if any emergency arises during custody.