Kollam (Keralam) | A Vigilance court here on Thursday granted bail on medical grounds to former TDB president P S Prasanth, who was arrested in connection with the alleged loss of gold from Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple.
Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit C S granted bail to the former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president after considering his medical condition.
Prasanth was shifted from jail to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram last month after suffering a brain hemorrhage.
The court had earlier dismissed his bail petition.
After filing a fresh petition, Prasanth's counsel submitted that he required advanced medical treatment and sought the relief.
After examining his medical records, the court granted him bail.
Prasanth is the 17th accused in the case related to the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at Sabarimala temple.
Prasanth, who headed the TDB from 2023-25, was arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on July 23.
He was formerly in Congress before associating himself with the CPI(M).
According to the remand report filed by the SIT, Prasanth, TDB members Ajikumar and G Sundaresan, had approved a Board decision in 2024 to undertake maintenance work on the Dwarapalaka sculpture panels at Sabarimala.
However, the work could not be undertaken that year as the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season was approaching.
The report said Thiruvabharanam Commissioner Rejilal assumed charge on January 24, 2025, and, on the instructions of then TDB president Prasanth, examined the relevant files.
According to the SIT, Rejilal found that the Board had issued an order on November 1, 2024, to electroplate the Dwarapalaka panels. However, no follow-up action was taken.
The report said Rejilal, aware that Smart Creations, entrusted with the work, did not possess the technology to recover the existing gold coating from the Dwarapalaka panels and reuse the same gold for replating, submitted reports to the TDB Secretary, recommending that the traditional method be adopted.
However, acting on Prasanth's instructions, Rejilal later sent a letter stating that the panels could be sent to Smart Creations for gold plating, the report alleged.
Despite the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner's earlier recommendations, the Board convened in September, 2025 under Prasanth's chairmanship and decided to entrust the work to Smart Creations, according to the SIT report.
The SIT alleged that the decision was intended to prevent the facts relating to the alleged gold loss during the 2019 maintenance work, including the quantity of gold lost, the quality of the gold plating and the actual amount of gold used, from coming to light.
The SIT, constituted following a direction of the Kerala High Court, is expected to file charge sheets in the two cases soon.