'Larger Scheme': High Court Calls For Wider Probe Into Sabarimala Gold Theft

The Kerala High Court said that gold theft from the Sabarimala temple cannot be brushed aside as an isolated act, while questioning the possibility of a well-orchestrated conspiracy.

The court document accessed by NDTV summarises the intention that the judiciary wants an independent court-monitored probe to supervise and monitor the Sabarimala gold theft investigation, which is free from the technical limits of the earlier Special Commissioner's report proceedings.

The Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar noted that the chain of events since 2019 strongly suggests a wider and well-orchestrated conspiracy involving officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board at every level.

The case stems from the removal of gold plating from the Dwarapalaka idols and side frames of the Sreekovil. Investigations revealed that the idols were handed over to sponsor Unnikrishnan Potti in 2019, even though rules required such repair works to be carried out inside the temple. The court pointed out that officials wrongly described the idols as "copper plates", allowed them to be taken out of the shrine, and never weighed them when they were returned.

According to the Special Investigation Team's report, Potti was even permitted to retain more than 400 grams of gold from the side frames. Emails accessed by investigators show that he sought the Board's permission to use some of the gold for a marriage. In all, nearly 475 grams of temple gold remains untraced, raising further questions about the Board's role.

The court said these lapses were not accidental. It noted that despite complaints about damage to the plating and a forty-year warranty in place, the same sponsor was secretly given custody of the idols again in 2025. The judges said this was likely an attempt to cover up the earlier theft.

Calling the developments "a larger and well-orchestrated scheme", the High Court directed the SIT to expand its probe beyond the idols and side frames to examine the complicity of Board officials "from the highest echelons downwards". It made clear that senior officers cannot simply blame subordinates when the valuables of Lord Ayyappa were the collective responsibility of the Travancore Devaswom Board.

To ensure transparency, the court ordered the registration of a new suo motu writ petition, replacing the earlier Special Commissioner's proceedings. It has also directed the SIT to seize the Minutes Book of the Board and place it under judicial custody. The idols, whose gold plates were refixed on October 17, have already been inspected as part of a court-mandated inventory.

The matter will next be heard on November 5, with the proceedings to be held in camera.