Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has appointed NK Unnikrishnan as the special public prosecutor to lead the prosecution in the Sabarimala gold theft cases, an official said on Thursday.

The appointment was made through a government order issued on Wednesday.

Unnikrishnan will lead the prosecution on behalf of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in two cases related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the doorframes of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at the Sabarimala temple.

He will also provide legal advice during the course of the investigation and scrutinise the chargesheets before they are filed in court.

A native of Thrissur, Unnikrishnan had earlier served as special public prosecutor in the rape and murder case of law student Jisha at her residence in Kuruppampady in April 2016. The prosecution led by him secured the conviction and death penalty for the sole accused, Ameerul Islam.

He is also currently serving as special public prosecutor in the serial killing cases against Jolly of Koodathai in Kozhikode.

The prosecution in the Sabarimala gold scam case has come under scrutiny after one of the accused was released on statutory bail following a delay in filing chargesheets in the two cases.

Apart from the SIT probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also initiated a money laundering investigation into the Sabarimala gold loss incident.