Kollam (Kerala) | A vigilance court in Kerala on Wednesday dismissed the bail plea of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu, who is an accused in the case related to the disappearance of gold from the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

The Kollam vigilance court rejected Vasu's plea seeking bail on health grounds and that he had no role in the disappearance of gold from the Sreekovil door frames, a lawyer associated with the case said.

The former TDB president was arrested in November.

Vasu's was the first high-profile arrest in the case, which is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.

The SIT is probing two cases, one involving gold lost from the gold-cladded plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the other concerning the Sreekovil door frames.

So far, the SIT has arrested six persons, including prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty, Vasu and former TDB president A Padmakumar, in the two cases.