T’PURAM: Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold scam, was granted statutory bail in the case related to the alleged loss of gold from the kattilapadi (door frame) of the hill shrine. The Kollam vigilance court on Thursday granted bail to Potti after the investigation agency failed to file the chargesheet within the stipulated 90-day period. He had earlier, on Jan 21, granted bail in the dwarapalaka idols case. The court imposed strict conditions, including a ban on speaking to the media about the case or the investigation, restrictions on entering Pathanamthitta district, and a direction not to leave the state. Potti was also ordered to appear before the crime branch (CB) investigation officer in Thiruvananthapuram every Tuesday and Friday between 10am and 1pm. The court also directed Potti to execute a bond of Rs 2 lakh with two solvent sureties of the same amount. The prosecution opposed the bail plea, arguing that Potti influenced officials and staff of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to facilitate the illegal transfer of sacred artefacts. The special investigation team (SIT) probing the case informed the court that the stolen gold was yet to be recovered, and that granting bail could adversely affect the ongoing investigation. However, the court rejected these arguments. Meanwhile, the enforcement directorate is expected to issue a summons to Potti for questioning in connection with the case after his release. With this, all main accused in the case — including B Murari Babu, S Sreekumar and Sudheesh Kumar — have been granted statutory bail. On Feb 11, 90 days will be completed since the arrest of other accused, including former TDB president A Padmakumar and former devaswom commissioner N Vasu. The high court had earlier clarified that the grant of statutory bail would not affect the investigation and that the accused would not escape the legal process.
