The Kerala Hgh Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) administrative officer S Sreekumar who is accused in the alleged theft of gold from Sabarimala temple. [S Sreekumar v. State of Kerala]

Justice A Badharudeen passed the order granting interim protection until the matter is taken up next on Friday, November 28.

Advocates Renjith Marar and Keshav Raj Nair appeared for the accused.

The crime pertains to gold missing from the temple's copper plate coverings on the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames.

The prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, who secured permission to sponsor repair works for the items, is accused of having misappropriated nearly 4 kg of temple gold from the items.

Several kilograms of gold were found to be missing when the plates were measured after the repair work. Later, some of the gold was allegedly recovered by the authorities from Potti's sister's house.

Sreekumar is the sixth accused in the case which is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted on the directions of the Kerala High Court.

A Division Bench of the Court had remarked that some Devaswom officials may have been complicit in enabling Potti in his deceitful scheme and ordered the SIT to examine whether offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 would also be attracted against the TDB officials.

Potti and Travancore Devaswom Board President and CPI(M) leader A Padmakumar have since been arrested and remain behind bars.