Kerala HC alarmed over ‘balance of gold for a wedding’ claim in Sabarimala temple scandal

Sabarimala temple

The Kerala High Court has ordered a major criminal investigation into the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple, voicing grave concerns that original gold-claddings on the idols may have been sold off and the proceeds stolen.

In a significant development reported by The Indian Express, a Division Bench directed the state police to register a formal case and initiate an investigation, to be led by the Additional Director General of Police (Crime). The court is overseeing the matter through suo motu proceedings, meaning it acted on its own initiative.

The probe centres on the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at the temple. The court identified a “distinct and grave possibility” that the original gold-cladding on these idols was disposed of to a “willing purchaser for a substantial monetary consideration,” with the funds being misappropriated by those behind the alleged fraud.

The scandal came to light after the idols were removed and taken to a firm in Chennai, Smart Creations, for fresh gold-plating in 2019, an act done without the prior consent of the court. This was despite the idols having already been gold-clad in 1999 using gold donated by businessman Vijay Mallya.

A report from the temple’s vigilance officer, cited by the court, revealed a critical discrepancy: the idols weighed approximately 4.5 kg less when they were returned from the 2019 process. The court described this weight reduction as a “matter of extreme gravity.”

Further deepening the suspicion, the court noted that the 2019 gold-plating was sponsored by an individual, Unnikrishnan Potty, who personally transported the idols to Chennai.

In a deeply troubling revelation, Potty later informed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) - the state-run body managing the temple - via email that he had a “balance of gold” in his possession after the plating and sought to use it for a wedding.

“This revelation is deeply disturbing and exposes the extent of the impropriety involved,” the Bench stated, as cited by The Indian Express. “It unmistakably demonstrates the alarming manner in which certain Devaswom officials had acted in concert with Potty, betraying both the sanctity of temple property and the trust reposed in them by the devotees.”

The court firmly rejected the claim from Smart Creations’ lawyer that the plates they received were merely copper, asserting that the items handed over in 2019 were, in fact, the original gold-clad idols. This, the judges said, “fundamentally alters the complexion of the case and brings within its fold the ingredients of the offences of theft, criminal misappropriation and criminal breach of trust.”

The Bench also pointed to complicity within the TDB, noting that its officers were “privy to the transactions and to the unlawful handing over of gold, in flagrant violation of the Devaswom Manual.”

Asserting that accountability must be fixed, the court has mandated a sweeping investigation to “ensure that the actual perpetrators are brought to justice.” In a parallel move, the court had previously appointed a former judge to prepare a full inventory of all the temple’s valuables, signalling a comprehensive clean-up effort at one of India’s most prominent pilgrimage sites.