KOLLAM: Former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president and ex-Devaswom Commissioner N. Vasu has been granted statutory bail by a Vigilance Court in Kollam, Kerala, in the high-profile Sabarimala gold misappropriation case.
Vasu, 75, secured bail on Wednesday after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case failed to file a charge sheet against him within the mandatory 90-day period following his arrest on November 11, 2025. That lapse legally entitled him to default bail under Indian law.
He is the third accused in the case and becomes at least the fifth person linked to the alleged gold irregularities to obtain bail as the investigation has progressed. Earlier, Unnikrishnan Potti, Murari Babu and others were similarly released on bail after the SIT missed statutory deadlines.
The case centers on allegations that temple assets from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple—specifically gold or gold-plated materials from door frames and idols—were misclassified and misappropriated during renovation works. The SIT alleges that under Vasu’s administrative watch, panels that were in fact gold-plated were recorded as copper and placed on the board’s agenda, paving the way for their removal and transfer to the first accused, Potti.
Though the SIT maintains these irregularities formed part of broader misconduct around the handling of valuable temple property, delays in completing scientific examinations and evidence gathering contributed to the failure to file a timely chargesheet. Vasu, who also has political links as a CPI-M leader, had been held in judicial custody at Poojappura Central Jail’s hospital block due to health issues. Procedural formalities are expected to be completed before his release later on Wednesday.
The investigations into the Sabarimala gold case remain ongoing, with legal proceedings and further charges yet to be finalized against several accused.
