Kollam, March 19 (IANS) In the controversial Sabarimala gold theft case, two more accused Pankaj Bhandari and Govardhan were granted bail by the trial court at Kollam on Thursday.

They were granted statutory bail after the prosecution failed to file a chargesheet within the stipulated time.

The Kollam Vigilance Court allowed their release, noting that the mandatory 90 day remand period had expired without progress in filing the final report.

With this, the total number of accused who have secured bail in the case has risen to ten.

Notably, eight among them have walked free on statutory grounds, highlighting procedural lapses that have slowed the prosecution’s case in what is widely seen as a high profile investigation involving alleged diversion of temple gold.

Govardhan, a jewellery trader from Bellary in Karnataka, had earlier approached the Supreme Court of India after his bail plea was rejected by the Kerala High Court.

The apex court, however, declined to intervene at the time. In his petition, Govardhan maintained that he was an ardent devotee of Lord Ayyappa and had no involvement in the alleged theft.

He was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on charges of purchasing stolen gold.

In his statement to investigators, Govardhan admitted to having paid Rs 1.5 crore in multiple installments to the prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti.

He claimed the payments were made believing they were for purposes related to Sabarimala and that he had no knowledge of any fraudulent intent.

He also submitted documents to substantiate the financial transactions and maintained that the gold purchase was made in good faith, stemming from personal acquaintance.

However, the SIT has taken a contrary view, asserting that Govardhan was fully aware that the gold belonged to the Sabarimala temple and constituted Devaswom property.

Investigators allege that he knowingly facilitated the diversion, thereby abetting the fraud.

Bhandari is the Chief Executive Officer of Chennai-based Smart Creations, who has been accused of misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple.

The delay in filing the chargesheet now raises broader concerns over the pace and efficacy of the probe.

–IANS

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