Kollam: The Kollam Vigilance Court will hear the bail plea of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu on Tuesday in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case. Vasu has sought statutory bail as the 90-day remand period has ended.

Vasu (75) is the third accused in the case relating to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the doorframes of the Sabarimala temple. He was arrested on November 11, 2025. The Vigilance Court is expected to consider granting bail during the hearing.

According to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Vasu held the post of Devaswom Commissioner from February 1, 2018, to March 14, 2019. Unnikrishnan Potty is the first accused in the case.

The SIT has alleged that Vasu and other officials were responsible for serious administrative lapses that led to the disappearance of the gold. Investigators said the gold slabs removed from the temple doorframes were initially described as copper in a letter forwarded by Vasu to the Devaswom Board seeking approval. The Board cleared the request on February 26, 2019, and later decided on March 19 to hand over the slabs to Unnikrishnan Potty.

The SIT further stated that the removal of the slabs was carried out based on an order issued by Devaswom Secretary S Jayashree. These lapses and negligent decisions, the investigation concluded, ultimately resulted in the alleged misappropriation of the gold.