The Kerala High Court has instructed the state’s police chief to direct the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to formally register a case concerning the gold missing from the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. The SIT, led by ADGP Crime Branch H Venkatesh, has been tasked with conducting an impartial inquiry and submitting its report within six weeks.
The court's division bench, comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar, noted that the investigation so far suggests a broader misappropriation.
"From the investigation so far conducted, it appears that in so far as sideframes/lintel, similar misappropriation of gold has been carried out," the bench stated. "It is also revealed from the report that substantial quantity of gold, amounting about 474.9 gm, was handed over directly to Sri Unnikrishnan Potti. The records do not reveal that the aforesaid quantity of gold was entrusted with the Travancore Devaswom Board."
Given these revelations regarding the side frames and lintels, the court mandated that the SIT must investigate these aspects in addition to all others that may surface. The SIT has been given the discretion to decide whether separate criminal cases should be registered for the Dwarapalakas and the lintels.
To ensure a fair investigation, the court restricted the probe team from communicating with the media until the inquiry is complete and appealed to both electronic and print media to avoid sensationalising the issue.
The bench upheld the public's right to information but stressed that every person is entitled to a fair trial. "Investigation is part of the trial, and the public has a deep interest, but the dissemination of unverified information can mislead,” the judges observed, issuing a warning against the spread of false news related to the case.
The SIT has been instructed to submit a status report of the investigation in a sealed cover once every two weeks. The court also ordered that copies of all seized records relating to the Dwarapalakas and the side frames be submitted to the Registrar General of the High Court for safe custody.
As the gold scam sparked a political controversy in the state, the court assigned former High Court judge Justice KT Sankaran to visit the temple on October 11-12 and conduct an inventory of all valuables at the Sabarimala shrine.
The SIT was initially constituted on October 6, when the court took suo motu cognisance of the missing gold based on a report from the Special Commissioner. That report indicated that the gold-clad copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols and the Peedam (pedestal) were removed without proper intimation.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), with sponsorship from devotee Unnikrishnan Potty, had sent the items to Smart Creations for electroplating. During the hearings, the bench noted that the gold's weight had reportedly reduced by approximately 4 kg after the idols were handed over to Potty in 2019. Rumours suggest that the internal Devaswom vigilance report submitted to the court on Friday pointed to the possible involvement of TDB officials in the alleged scam.
Also read: Amid Sabarimala row, gold missing from 2 Kozhikode temples
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