Supreme Court Upholds Kerala HC Remarks, Raps Ex-Devaswom Board Member in Sabarimala Gold Case

Overview

• The Supreme Court dismissed K P Shankardas’s plea to delete five critical paragraphs from a Kerala High Court order in the temple gold case.
• Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma rebuked him with the remark that he had "not even spared God" and said he could not evade responsibility as a board member.
• The court noted that any earlier leniency from the High Court was based on age and health considerations rather than the merits of the allegations.
• Shankardas was told he may approach the High Court to seek expunction, and any anticipatory bail application must be considered on its merits.
• Separately, the Kerala High Court’s Devaswom Bench extended the SIT’s timeline by six weeks and set January 19 for an interim investigation report.