Sabarimala missing gold case: Court grants SIT custody of prime accused Potty
Pathanamthitta (Kerala) (PTI): A local court in Ranni here on Friday granted custody of Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold missing case, to the SIT probing the matter.
The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court granted the custody of Potty to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) till October 30.
The accused claimed he had been 'trapped' by somone.
"Those who trapped me will come before the law," he told reporters while being taken out of the court.
A person in the crowd gathered outside the court hurled a footwear at Potty as he was being escorted out of the court.
Earlier in the day, the SIT arrested Potty, a Bengaluru-based businessman, after more than 14 hours of interrogation at the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram.
He was picked up from his residence in Pulimath near Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
Potty had sponsored the gold electroplating of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames at Sabarimala in 2019 and made several donations to the temple.
The Kerala High Court recently found that the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols weighed 42.8 kg when handed over to Potty for electroplating, but the weight reduced to 38.2 kg when it reached Chennai-based firm Smart Creations for processing.
Following these findings, the HC directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Vigilance Wing to conduct a preliminary probe, which later led to the formation of an SIT to investigate the case.
The SIT is probing two related cases — the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the loss of gold from the Sreekovil door frames.
Potty is the prime accused in both cases, along with some TDB officials and members of the 2019 board.
Sources said Potty was arrested around 2 am and taken to the government hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for a medical examination.
Later, he was transferred to the Judicial First Class Magistrate's Court, Ranni, as part of the remand procedure.
During the hearing, the prosecution sought 14 days' custody, citing the need for detailed interrogation and evidence collection from multiple locations, including other states.
The prosecution submitted that a detailed investigation be conducted into the Chennai-bsed firm Smart Creations and the individuals involved in the conspiracy behind the gold lost from Sabarimala.
Potty's counsel opposed the request, raising concerns about his health.
The magistrate, however, accepted the prosecution's plea and granted custody till October 30. Potty was later shifted to the Pathanamthitta police camp.
Potty's lawyer said the court has directed that his client undergo a daily medical examination during the custody period.
"We had objected to the prosecution's petition seeking Potty's custody and raised concerns about his health. A bail petition will be moved later," he said.
The counsel added that Potty has agreed to cooperate fully with the investigation but declined to make any further comments.
The Kerala High Court has set a six-week deadline for the SIT to complete the probe.
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India proposes preferential trade agreement with Mexico to deal with high tariffs
New Delhi (PTI): India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday.
Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue.
"Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here.
While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, duties are cut or removed on a limited number of products.
Trading partners of Mexico cannot file a compliant against the decision on imposing high tariffs as they are WTO (World Trade Organisation) compatible.
The duties are within their bound rates, he said, adding that their primary target was not India.
"We have proposed a PTA because its a WTO-compatible way forward... we can do a PTA and try to get concessions that are required for Indian supply chains and similarly offer them concessions where they have export interests in India," Agrawal said.
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Citing support for local production and correction of trade imbalances, Mexico has approved an increase in MFN (most favoured nation) import tariffs (5-50 per cent) with effect from January 1, 2026 on 1,455 tariff lines (or product categories) within the WTO framework, targeting non-FTA partners.
Preliminary estimates suggest that this affects India's around USD 2 billion exports to Mexico particularly -- automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, leather and footwear.
The measure is also aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
India-Mexico merchandise trade totalled USD 8.74 billion in 2024, with exports USD 5.73 billion, imports USD 3.01 billion, and a trade surplus of USD 2.72 billion.
The government has been continuously and comprehensively assessing Mexico's tariff revisions since the issue emerged, engaging stakeholders, safeguarding the interests of Indian exporters, and pursuing constructive dialogue to ensure a stable trade environment benefiting businesses and consumers in both countries.
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Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai has said that Mexico's decision is a matter of concern, particularly for sectors like automobiles and auto components, machinery, electrical and electronics, organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and plastics.
"Such steep duties will erode our competitiveness and risk, disrupting supply chains that have taken years to develop," Sahai said, adding that this development also underlines the little urgency for India and Mexico to fast-track a comprehensive trade agreement.
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA.
