Overview
- A Division Bench extended the Special Investigation Team’s timeline by six weeks after reviewing its latest progress report.
- The judges recorded satisfaction with the SIT’s professional approach, noting efforts to secure evidence even outside Kerala.
- Two separate crimes are registered, nine suspects have been arrested so far, and the cases list 15 and 12 accused respectively.
- Investigators have examined 181 witnesses and sent samples from original plates to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre for testing, with results pending.
- The probe is structured into four phases from the 1998 cladding through 2019 door and idol plate work to 2025 transactions, with the court warning that media aspersions risk undermining the investigation.