Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT books 2019 Travancore Devaswom Board members

Chennai, Oct 12 (IANS) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the missing gold from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has named the former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) led by CPI(M) leader A. Padmakumar as an accused in the case.

All members who served on the board in 2019 have been arraigned as the eighth accused, marking a major turn in the temple gold-plate scandal that has rocked Kerala’s temple administration.

The then Devaswom Commissioner N. Vasu, Thiruvabharanam Commissioner, Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, and Assistant Engineer have also been charged.

The SIT, functioning under Crime Branch ADGP H. Venkatesh, registered the case on the directions of the Kerala High Court after irregularities were flagged by the Devaswom Vigilance SP and the Sabarimala High Commissioner.

The investigation revolves around allegations that gold was illicitly removed from the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala under the pretext of electroplating.

Unnikrishnan Potti -- a priest-turned-sponsor who had funded the gold-coating work -- has been named the first accused, while his associate Kalpesh is listed as the second accused. They allegedly extracted gold from the coverings of the idols, causing financial loss to the board.

According to SIT sources, Unnikrishnan Potti first urged Devaswom officials in 2019 to begin gold-coating the Dwarapalaka idols. In October 2024, he emailed the authorities again, claiming the idols had “discoloured due to extreme climate change” and asked for the work to be redone.

On September 8, 2025, officials went ahead with the re-coating, despite existing High Court orders and Devaswom manual procedures prohibiting such deviations.

The accused have been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 406 and 409 (criminal breach of trust), 466 and 467 (forgery of valuable documents), and 34 (common intention).

Reacting to the development, former board president A. Padmakumar said he was ready to cooperate fully with investigators. “Let the court decide whether the board under me committed any irregularities or not. I have done nothing illegal, and our board never violated any rules or customs at Sabarimala,” he told reporters, adding that he welcomed the probe and wanted the truth to come out.

The case, now under SIT supervision, is expected to bring clarity to one of Kerala’s most controversial temple-related scandals in recent years.

--IANS

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