Thiruvananthapuram: The prosecution has submitted additional evidence against former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P S Prasanth and former board member A Aji Kumar in the Sabarimala gold theft case, with both accused remanded in judicial custody till Sept 1.The vigilance court will continue hearing their bail pleas. The prosecution presented call detail records (CDRs), WhatsApp communications and other documents to substantiate the alleged links between the two and Unnikrishnan Potti, the key accused in the case.According to the prosecution, Prasanth and others spoke to Potti on the phone on the day TDB decided to permit Smart Creations to undertake gold-plating work on Sabarimala artefacts. The prosecution also produced evidence of WhatsApp communications between them prior to the board meeting, besides details of a direct meeting between Kumar and Potti.The prosecution further alleged that two persons were provided houses under Potti’s guidance based on a recommendation made by Kumar. Both Kumar and Potti were present at the key-handover ceremony, it said.The police also submitted evidence that an application seeking permission to transport gold sheets to Smart Creations was sent from another person’s email account. The application was submitted a day after TDB approved the proposal, according to the prosecution.Prasanth and Kumar are also accused in a separate case involving alleged irregularities in the procurement of ghee for Sabarimala. A vigilance investigation reportedly found irregularities in the tender through which ghee was procured from Milma.
