Kerala High Court Flags Missing Gold from Sabarimala Idols, Orders Vigilance Inquiry
The Kerala High Court has ordered a vigilance probe into the unexplained loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at the Sabarimala temple.
A bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar noted that during the 2019 repair and fresh gold-plating of the idols’ gold-cladded copper plates, the original weight of 42.8 kg was reduced to 38.258 kg, a shortfall of approximately 4.54 kg. The court described this discrepancy as “glaring and unexplained” and stressed that a detailed inquiry is necessary.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had removed the plates in 2019 for re-gilding due to defects that appeared within six years of installation, despite the idols coming with a 40-year warranty when installed in 1999. The plates were sent to Smart Creations, a Chennai-based company, more than a month after removal. When received, their weight had already dropped, and even after re-plating, the final weight was 38.65 kg, still significantly below the original.
The Kerala High Court directed the TDB’s Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, a Superintendent of Police, to carry out a thorough investigation, review all records, and submit a report within three weeks. The bench also ordered that all registers be handed over to the vigilance officer and instructed the TDB to provide full cooperation in the probe.
This ruling underscores the judiciary’s commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of temple assets and donations.
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