KOCHI: Kerala high court on Monday ordered a full-fledged investigation into the alleged discrepancies in the gold-cladded/plated copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala temple, constituting a special investigation team (SIT) headed by H Venkatesh, ADGP (law and order), to carry out the probe. The court directed that the investigation be conducted by S Sasidharan (IPS), assistant director (administration), KEPA, Thrissur, under the supervision of the ADGP. The SIT has been directed to complete the investigation expeditiously and, in any case, within six weeks.A bench comprising Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar issued the order after perusing an interim report submitted in a sealed cover by the chief vigilance and security officer (superintendent of police) of Sabarimala, following a preliminary inquiry into the matter.During the hearing, the bench interacted with the chief vigilance and security officer, who was personally present in court. After the interaction and upon perusal of the interim report, the court concluded that a detailed probe was warranted into the allegations concerning the gold-plated copper coverings of the idols situated on either side of the sanctum sanctorum. The SIT has also been tasked with examining the role of Unnikrishnan Potti, who sponsored the gold plating, and officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
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The chief vigilance and security officer submitted a letter from the manager (finance) of McDowell & Company Ltd., United Breweries Group, addressed to the secretary of the TDB, detailing the gold-plating work carried out at the Sabarimala temple and specifying the quantity of gold used for the cladding of the Sreekovil.According to the letter, a total of 1,564.190g (1.564kg) of gold was used for the two Dwarapalakas, and 30,291g (30.291kg) of gold was utilised for the entire gold-cladding project executed through traditional methods. The court observed that this document conclusively established that the Dwarapalakas handed over by the devaswom board to Potti had already been clad with 1.564kg of gold and, therefore, could not have been mere “copper plates”.The court noted that the reduction in recorded weight—approximately 4.5kg—when the items were returned after “gold plating” in 2019 was a matter of extreme gravity. It added that the earlier apprehension that the items refixed at the Sannidhanam were a different set of copper plates now appeared “fully justified” in light of these findings, observing that it was a distinct and grave possibility that the original gold-clad Dwarapalakas had been disposed of for substantial monetary consideration.Additionally, the court took note of an email communication sent by Potti to the TDB president after the refixation of the gold-plated coverings in 2019. In the email, Potti sought permission to use the remaining gold left in his possession after completing the temple work for a girl’s marriage. Terming this revelation “deeply disturbing”, the court said it exposed the extent of the impropriety involved and “unmistakably demonstrated the alarming manner in which certain devaswom officials had acted in concert with Potti, betraying both the sanctity of temple property and the trust reposed in them by devotees”.The controversy came to light following a report submitted to HC on Sept 9 by the Sabarimala special commissioner, which stated that the gold-plated copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols had been removed without prior judicial approval and transported to a facility in Chennai without obtaining permission. Upon examining the matter in detail, the bench noted discrepancies of 4.541kg in the weight of the copper coverings refitted after the gold-plating process in 2019.To assist the probe team, the state govt has been instructed to provide the services of inspector Aneesh (Vakathanam police station, Kottayam), inspector Biju Radhakrishnan (Kaippamangalam police station, Thrissur Rural), and Sunil Kumar, assistant sub-inspector (Cyber police station, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram). The matter was adjourned to Friday, as the chief vigilance and security officer informed the court that the final report on the vigilance inquiry would be filed by then.
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