SIT to file report on Sabarimala ‘gold theft’ in 6 weeks: Kerala High Court

“In terms of the orders issued by this Court on October 9, we had ordered the seizure of the entire records relating to the Dwarapalakas… A copy of all the records to be submitted to the Registrar General of this court,” the Bench was quoted as saying by legal news website Live Law.

What is the Sabarimala Temple ‘gold theft’ controversy?

The Kerala High Court had appointed former judge KT Sankaran to prepare a full inventory of the temple’s assets and directed the temple vigilance officer to investigate suspected malpractice. The vigilance report indicated that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages over 1,200 temples, including Sabarimala, had violated court orders by sending the idols to a Chennai-based jewellery firm, Smart Creations, for repairs. While doing so, it bypassed the rule that such work must be done within temple premises under official supervision.

At the centre of the controversy is Bengaluru-based Unnikrishnan Potty, a former temple aide who had earlier sponsored the gold plating in 2019. Despite being flagged for “questionable antecedents”, Potty was again allowed to fund and oversee the latest restoration.

The High Court noted that the TDB’s repeated reliance on him and the unexplained gold losses from earlier plating work raised serious doubts about transparency and accountability.

The court’s scrutiny also pointed to discrepancies in past transactions, including an earlier incident, in which around 4.5 kilograms gold allegedly went missing during plating and transport to Chennai.

From the homepage

‘Shocked, but it’s a forgotten chapter’: CJI Gavai on shoe-attack in Supreme Court

Muttaqi in India: Why New Delhi is increasing engagement with Afghanistan’s Taliban

Academics, professionals, ex-RJD MLC, famous singer in Prashant Kishor’s first list for Bihar