Thiruvananthapuram | Kandararu Rajeevaru, tantri (chief priest) of Sabarimala, who was in judicial custody in connection with the temple gold theft case, was discharged from the Government Medical College Hospital on Sunday, police said.

"The tantri was discharged from the hospital in the afternoon and shifted back to the prison," a jail official said.

He had been under observation in the intensive care unit (ICU) since Saturday, after doctors detected a minor variation in his heartbeat.

Rajeevaru had complained of feeling unwell the previous morning while in jail and was initially taken to the general hospital before being transferred to the medical college on the doctors’ advice.

Doctors later confirmed that he had no major health issues apart from the minor heartbeat variation.

Rajeevaru was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday and lodged at the special district sub-jail here.

He was taken into custody for his alleged links with prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and for allegedly allowing the Dwarapalaka and Sreekovil gold plates of the Lord Ayyappa temple to be re-gilded outside the premises, official sources said.

The tantri comes from the priestly ‘Thazhamon Madom’ family of Chengannur, which has led rituals at Lord Ayyappa’s temple for generations.