Kochi, February 13 The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed a plea filed by the CEO of Chennai-based Smart Creations, challenging his arrest in a case involving alleged misappropriation of gold from the Lord Ayyappa shrine, where the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols of Sabarimala were taken for gold plating.
Justice A Badharudeen rejected the plea of Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari, who had also sought his release from custody.
The detailed order is awaited.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) has claimed that Bhandari and Govardhan Roddam, a jeweller based in Ballari, played a central role in a conspiracy to steal gold from artefacts of the Sabarimala temple.
The SIT had alleged that Bhandari and Roddam, along with the first accused Unnikrishnan Potty, planned the theft of gold that was entrusted to them for electroplating work.