₹20 crore ‘missing’ lottery: Kerala HC asks retired ASI to produce original ticket

Piravom: The Kerala High Court has directed a petitioner claiming the ₹20 crore first prize in the Christmas–New Year bumper lottery to produce the original ticket.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas issued the directive while considering a petition filed by K K Sajimon, a retired Assistant Sub-Inspector and a native of Pazhoor in Piravom. Sajimon contended that the winning ticket belonged to him but was lost inadvertently, and sought disbursal of the prize amount.

Earlier, on February 20, the court had directed that photographs of both sides of the first-prize ticket and details of the person who submitted the ticket be produced in a sealed cover. When the case was taken up on Friday afternoon, the court examined the documents submitted in a sealed cover by the Lottery Director before directing that the original ticket be produced. The matter has been posted to March 5.

Sajimon submitted that he had purchased the ticket from Kanjirappally on December 1 while visiting a relative’s house in Mundakkayam. He stated that he had written his name and address on the back of the ticket and signed it.

The bumper draw was held on January 24. However, Sajimon claimed that the ticket was lost when he couriered a container of ghee that had been left behind in his traveller vehicle by pilgrims from Visakhapatnam who had travelled to Sabarimala. According to him, the ticket had been kept beneath the container and went missing during the process.

Even after the results were announced, no one immediately came forward to claim the first prize. Only after a considerable delay did a person submit a ticket before the Lottery Directorate.

Sajimon further stated that he had suffered a head injury on the day of the draw and temporarily lost his memory, and that he was able to recall the details only days later. Based on his complaint, Piravom police conducted an inquiry at the courier establishment but found no information regarding the ticket. He subsequently approached the High Court seeking relief.