Sabarimala ‘missing gold’: CPM leader, gold-plating sponsor among accused in criminal case
The Kerala High Court, which had opened suo motu proceedings in the matter, has directed that the case be investigated by an SIT.
Kerala high court ruling: Section 256 of CrPC grants power to the magistrate to acquit an accused on non-appearance of the complainant before the court.
Following the Kerala High Court’s observations regarding alleged misappropriation of gold extracted from items at Sabarimala temple, the Crime Branch has registered a criminal case.
As per the court’s direction, the case will be probed by a special investigation team.
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The FIR named sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty, who has emerged as a key figure in the scandal; CPI(M) leader A Padmakumar, who had served as president of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in 2019; two former board members; and nine TDB officials as the accused. The case was registered under charges of theft, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust. The TDB is a state government-run body that manages the temple.
Based on the report of the temple vigilance and security officer, the High Court had found that in 2019, gold-clad plates of the temple’s Dwarapalaka idols and door frames were removed, recorded as mere copper plates, and taken to a Chennai-based company by Potty for another round of gold-plating. The items, which had already been covered in gold in 1999, were handed over to Potty at different occasions in 2019.
The existing gold covering on these items was extracted, and after the new round of gold-plating, around 474.9 grams of gold that remained were not returned to the temple by Potty, the court had observed.
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The inclusion of Padmakumar, a prominent CPI(M) leader in Pathanamthitta district, in the list of accused comes as a political setback for Kerala’s ruling party, which had put the blame on TDB officials for the scandal.
Reacting to the development, Padmakumar said, “There is an attempt to put the entire blame on me. There are other people who are answerable.”
Senior CPI(M) leader Kadakampally Surendran, who had been Devaswom minister in 2019, said he was not aware of the developments. “There is a probe going on and the court has fixed six weeks for completing the probe. Let us patiently wait until then,” he told the media.
Kerala high court ruling: Section 256 of CrPC grants power to the magistrate to acquit an accused on non-appearance of the complainant before the court. 
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