The Kollam Vigilance Enquiry Commission Special Court on Wednesday rejected the bail application of N Vasu, former president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), who was arrested in connection with the Sabarimala gold scam.

In his plea before the Vigilance Court, Vasu maintained that he only forwarded an official communication and had no involvement in the Board’s subsequent decision that came under investigation.

Vasu argued that the accusation stems entirely from an administrative act carried out while he was serving as Devaswom Commissioner. He pointed out that the Executive Officer of Sabarimala had, on February 16, 2019, submitted a letter requesting the Board’s approval to entrust the gold-plating of the sanctum sanctorum door frame to Unnikrishnan Potti, who had volunteered for the task. This letter, he said, progressed through the Commissionerate with notings from the section clerk and senior officials — including the Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner — before reaching him. However, the court did not consider any of these arguments.

The Crime Branch formally registered Vasu's arrest after interrogation at its Eenchakkal office. Vasu, who held the position of Devaswom Commissioner from 1 February 2018 to 14 March 2019, has been named the third accused, while Unnikrishnan Potti is the first accused in the case.

The special investigation team (SIT) probing the gold theft has alleged that Vasu and other officials were responsible for grave administrative failures. The SIT reported that the gold slabs were initially described as copper in a letter Vasu forwarded to the Board for approval.

The Board cleared this request on 26 February 2019 and later decided on 19 March to hand over the slabs to Potti. Their removal was carried out based on an order issued by Devaswom Secretary S Jayashree. According to the investigation, these lapses and negligent decisions ultimately resulted in the disappearance of the gold.
(A detailed order is awaited)