Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 4: A vigilance court on Wednesday granted statutory bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar in connection with the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at the Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple, sources said.

Padmakumar had earlier secured statutory bail in a related case concerning the alleged misappropriation of gold from the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at the hill shrine. With bail granted in both cases, he is likely to be released from jail by evening, sources added.

The former TDB president is the eighth accused to secure bail in the matter. He has been arrayed as the 11th accused in the Dwarapalaka gold loss case.

Padmakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA, was serving as TDB president when a decision was taken in 2019 to hand over Sabarimala artefacts for replating to the prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti.

Both cases are currently under investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Kerala High Court.