Kollam: A vigilance court on Wednesday granted bail to Sabarimala senior Tantri (chief priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru in two cases registered against him in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold-plated copper encasings used on the doorway, stone carvings and sculptures of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.

Rajeevaru is the 16th accused in the case related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and A-13 in the case pertaining to the loss of the precious metal from the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).

The special investigation team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court arrested Rajeevaru on January 9. He is the sixth accused to receive bail in the high-profile case. 

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The Sabarimala gold theft case concerns allegations of the misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols.

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The theft allegedly occurred in 2019 under the pretext of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures. The controversy traces its origins to a 1998 donation by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who donated 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.

Subsequent inspections and court-monitored inquiries revealed discrepancies between the donated gold and the quantity allegedly used