Sabarimala ‘missing gold’: CPM leader, gold-plating sponsor among accused in criminal case

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.

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.

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