Vigilance Court Grants One-Day SIT Custody of Kandararu Rajeevaru

Kollam: A Vigilance Court in Kollam on Thursday granted the Special Investigation Team (SIT) one-day custody of former Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in connection with the alleged loss of gold at the hill shrine.

Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit C S allowed the SIT’s plea and granted custody of Rajeevaru in the case relating to the disappearance of gold from the doorframe of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum). Rajeevaru, who is the 13th accused in the case, was subsequently taken to the SIT office in Thiruvananthapuram for interrogation.

This marks the first instance of the SIT seeking Rajeevaru’s custody since his arrest on January 9.

According to SIT sources, a separate petition will also be filed seeking his custody in another case involving the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols. In that case, Rajeevaru is listed as the 16th accused.

Meanwhile, the court is set to pronounce its order on Friday on the bail petitions filed by former Sabarimala administrative officer B Murari Babu in both cases. The bail pleas were heard on Thursday, after which the court reserved its orders.

The SIT was constituted following directions from a division bench of the Kerala High Court, which ordered a comprehensive investigation based on the findings of chemical analysis conducted on samples collected from Sabarimala. The High Court has also directed the SIT to submit a status report by February 9.