SABARIMALA GOLD PLATING: Devasomminutes book seized; probe widens

 

 

 

THE Special Investigation Team (SIT) has seized the Travancore Devasom Board’s minutes book from 2019, which contained the decision to hand over the gold sheets and plating materials to now-arrested Unnikrishnan Potti. The seizure has become a key turning point in the ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold used for plating the Sabarimala temple’s sacred structures. In a report submitted to the Kerala High Court, the SIT said thatmembers and employees of theDevasomBoardhadactedon behalfofcertainindividuals, and that manipulation was evident from the official records themselves.Crucialdocumentsrecovered during the verification process have shed light on the irregularities.

 

The SIT also pointed out that the Board had been reluctant to hand over records, producing them only after repeated requests.With the court observing that even the present Board appeared to have attempted to conceal the theft, both the Devasom Board and the State Government have come under scrutiny.Theinvestigationiscontinuing toidentify thoseresponsible for the missing gold. The crisis deepened after the High Court noted that the cover-up of the 2019 gold loss appeared deliberate, and that thisyear’sgold-platingworkhad againbeen entrusted to thesame sponsor, Unnikrishnan Potti.

 

The court directed that the inquiry should not be confined to the misappropriation involving the Dwarapalaka panels and side panels alone, but should extend touncover thelargerconspiracy behind the incident. Following thecourt’s observations, the trajectory of the Sabarimala gold theft investigation has shifted sharply, bringing the Devasom Board and the Governmentunderintensepressure to ensureatransparent and accountable probe. In a late-night development, a team of top Kerala BJP leaders called on visiting President Droupadi Murmu at the Raj Bhavan, where she is staying.