Kerala Court Grants Bail to Sabarimala Gold Theft Suspect

A Kerala court granted statutory bail on Thursday to Unnikrishnan Potti, the primary suspect in the alleged theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple, after investigators failed to file charges within the required 90-day period following his arrest. The decision, made by the Kollam Vigilance Court, allows Potti's release from custody under conditions that include staying out of Pathanamthitta district and not influencing witnesses.

Potti, a former official with the Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the temple, was arrested on November 3, 2025, in connection with the misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred artifacts. The artifacts, including door frames of the temple's sanctum sanctorum and plates on the Dwarapalaka guardian idols, were sent for replating to a firm in Chennai in 2019 after Potti obtained board approval for the work. Authorities allege that gold was diverted during this process.

The bail was awarded under Section 167(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which provides for default release when the investigation agency does not complete its report on time. The court emphasized that this right is absolute, regardless of...