Inspection of Sabarimala temple strong room continues

Pathanamthitta: The High Court-ordered inspection of strongroom in the Sabarimala gold theft case has entered the second day , with a three-day review expected to conclude on Sunday evening.

The inspection aims to verify whether all valuables listed in the Devaswom Mahasar are present in the temple’s strong room. Today’s focus includes the Dwarapalaka sculptures' gold plates, which were sent to Chennai for renovation during the Malayalam month of Chingam and returned last month. The review is considered critical, following previous inspections that revealed discrepancies with items sent for renovation in 2019.

Notices have been issued to Smart Creations and Unnikrishnan Potti as part of the process, though Potti is unlikely to attend.

The inspection team, led by the High Court-appointed amicus curiae, is gathering information at the Sannidhanam. The team also includes the Sabarimala Special Officer, the High Court’s Special Commissioner, Devaswom officials, representatives from Vigilance, and six other officials. Following today’s review at Sannidhanam, the team will continue inspections at the Aranmula strong room on Monday.

Accused

A special investigation team has launched a probe into the theft of gold-plated items at Sabarimala, registering two FIRs at the Crime Branch headquarters. Ten individuals, including sponsor Unnikrishnan Potti, have been named as accused, with Potti likely to be arrested soon.

The FIRs relate to the theft of gold-plated panels from the temple’s doorway and Dwarapalaka sculptures. The first incident occurred in March 2019, the second in July, prompting two separate FIRs. Nine Devaswom officials, holding positions including Secretary, Thiruvabharanam Commissioner, Executive Officer and Administrative Officer at the time, have also been charged. Sections covering corruption, theft, conspiracy, and breach of trust have been applied.

Officials from Smart Creations in Chennai, which performed the gold plating, have not been charged. Managing Director Pankaj Bhandari told Devaswom Vigilance that the gold in the panels was melted. Other individuals mentioned in the vigilance report will be questioned, and further charges may follow if necessary.

Other Accused

The accused include former Sabarimala Administrative Officer Haripad Devaswom Deputy Commissioner B Murari Babu, Assistant Engineer K Sunil Kumar, former Devaswom Board Secretary S Jayasree, former Thiruvabharanam Commissioners KS Baiju, RG Radhakrishnan, former Executive Officers D Sudheesh Kumar, VS Rajendra Prasad, former Administrative Officers S Sreekumar and K Rajendran Nair. All, except Murari Babu and Sunil Kumar, have retired.

Missing small gold idols on the flagpole

The authorities have noted a reduction in the number of gold-plated copper idols atop the golden flagpole at Sabarimala. Originally installed on June 25, 2017, with 28 idols, only 13 remain. Officials believe the remainder may have fallen due to the wind.

If any fallen idols are recovered, they will be moved to the strong room for counting under the supervision of Justice KT Sankaran, appointed by the High Court as amicus curiae. The remaining idols facing the 'pathinettampadi' remain intact.

The new golden flagpole, donated by Phoenix Infratech of Hyderabad at a cost of ₹3.2 crore, replaced the old structure due to age. The flagpole construction required 9.161 kg of gold, purchased from the Kochi Customs Office and delivered to the Aranmula strong room before assembly at a specially prepared workshop in Pamba.