Kerala High Court allows scientific probe into Sabarimala gold ‘theft’ case

KOCHI(Kerala) : The Kerala High Court has granted permission to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a scientific examination as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged Sabarimala gold theft case, officials said.

The SIT, probing the matter, submitted its second report to the Kerala High Court on Wednesday, revealing serious irregularities in the Travancore Devaswom Board’s minutes record.

According to the SIT report, the record book does not mention the handing over of the dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol to Unnikrishnan Potti in 2019. The report further states that no entries have been made after July 28, 2025.

Additionally, the handing over of gold platings to Smart Creations— the firm that had undertaken electroplating of gold-clad copper coverings for idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple —is also missing from the minutes book.

The SIT requested permission to conduct a scientific investigation to determine the actual weight of the gold-plated idols before and after restoration.
The Kerala High Court accepted the SIT’s request and granted permission for the scientific examination, officials said.

Earlier, the members of the opposition walked out of the assembly in protest over the Sabarimala gold theft case.

Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, stated that the High Court has made it clear that a board member was involved in the gold theft from the Sabarimala Temple.

“The High Court has made it clear that a Devasworm board member definitely had a role in taking the sculpture of Sabrimala Aiyyappa temple to outside …they knew very well that there was a fraud…the high court made it very clear…that’s why we are asking to the expel the Devasworm board…at the same time the Devasworm board minister is also responsible, he has to resign…that is our demand,’ he said.

Earlier, the SIT, appointed by the Kerala High Court, questioned Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Smart Creation in Chennai, over the alleged disappearance of gold linked to the Sabarimala temple’s restoration work.

The SIT brought the accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, to Chennai after raiding his residence in Bengaluru. Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, was taken to Bengaluru on Friday for evidence collection and has been remanded to police custody until October 30.

The SIT is examining his involvement in the 2019 theft of the gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple’s Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels.

On Thursday, the Ranni Court remanded former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Executive Officer Murari Babu to 14 days’ custody in connection with the case. Babu, currently under suspension, was taken into custody from his residence in Perunna late Wednesday night by the SIT and produced before the court after questioning at the Crime Branch office in Thiruvananthapuram, where his arrest was formally recorded.

According to the SIT remand report, Murari Babu played a key role in falsifying documents that claimed the gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple were made of copper. He is the second accused in the 2019 theft of the gilded overlays of the temple’s Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels. The first accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, was arrested earlier.

The SIT suspects that Babu, who had served in senior positions within the Devaswom Board for several years, colluded with Potti by submitting a false report during the 2019 restoration process. The internal audit wing had earlier held him responsible for the discrepancy.

The case gained renewed attention after Unnikrishnan Potti, in the run-up to the TDB-sponsored Global Ayyappa Sanghamam in September, claimed that four gold-plated panels he donated in 2019 were missing. The TDB Vigilance recovered the missing panels from Potti’s sister’s residence in Thiruvananthapuram, leading the Kerala High Court to order a detailed SIT probe into all TDB transactions involving him.

Earlier, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, PS Prasanth, suspended Assistant Engineer K Sunil Kumar for his alleged involvement in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Kumar has been named as an accused in the case. (ANI)