Sabarimala gold-plating row: Kerala Devaswom Minister Vasavan welcomes SIT probe

Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan on Monday welcomed the High Court directive to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged irregularities in the gold-plating of the Sabarimala temple, expressing hope that the investigation would bring out the truth.

He said the allegations surfaced just three days before the Global Ayyappa Sangamam organised by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), and therefore, the government suspected a conspiracy behind the developments.

Vasavan also accused the opposition of "misinterpreting" the issue and propagating it in a misleading manner.

He sharply criticised businessman Unnikrishnan Potty, who sponsored the gold-plating works at Sabarimala, saying it was “revealing” that the person who initially complained about a 'missing gold pedestal' was later found to be concealing it.

The minister said it had emerged that Potty, who had first come to Sabarimala to assist priests, was later involved in “many dubious interventions.” “We wholeheartedly welcome the court verdict on the SIT probe. Let the truth come out one by one,” Vasavan said.

The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the formation of an SIT to investigate alleged irregularities related to the reduced weight of gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at Sabarimala.

A bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar ordered the constitution of the SIT after the TDB Vigilance team submitted an interim report on its preliminary investigation into the matter.

The High Court had recently directed the TDB Vigilance to probe the reduced weight of the Dwarapalaka idols after they were sent to a Chennai-based firm for electroplating — a project sponsored by Potty in 2019.

Vasavan said the government and the TDB had already made it clear that they wanted a high-level probe into Sabarimala's affairs from 1998, the year businessman Vijay Mallya donated gold, till date.

He said the government had not ordered a probe on its own as all matters relating to Sabarimala are under the direct supervision of the High Court.

The minister clarified that the TDB can take any decision—especially those related to the handling of gold and silver—only with the court's permission.

Vasavan further said the government has no role in the temple's daily affairs and functions only to coordinate various departments to ensure a smooth pilgrimage and the efficient implementation of development projects.

“The government does not take even a penny from the revenue of the Devaswom Board,” he added.

The High Court stated that the SIT will be led by Superintendent of Police S Sasidharan and supervised by the Crime Branch chief and Additional Director General of Police H Venketesh.

Last week, the court had ordered a comprehensive inventory of all valuables, including gold, at the Sabarimala temple under the supervision of retired Justice K T Sankaran.

As part of the probe, the TDB vigilance had questioned Potty for two days before submitting its report to the court.