High Court Issues Interim Order in Sabarimala Gold Panel Theft, Directs SIT to Continue Probe

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has issued an interim order in the case concerning the theft of gold-plated panels from the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple. The court has directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to continue its probe into the matter. The SIT submitted a progress report in a sealed cover, and the proceedings were held in a closed courtroom. The case is scheduled to be taken up again on November 15.
Earlier, the Devaswom Vigilance had submitted its final report on the investigation to the High Court. The report, presented by Vigilance SP Sunil Kumar, revealed that there was a conspiracy behind the disappearance of the Dwarapalaka gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple. The bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan is supervising the matter and will undertake a detailed review of the submissions.
According to the vigilance findings, officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) colluded with the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti (also called Potty) and a Chennai-based firm, Smart Creations, in diverting gold plating work. The report stated that recording the gold-plated panels as copper in the mahazar (seizure record) was part of the conspiracy.
The state government informed the court that a thorough and transparent investigation was essential. The Devaswom Vigilance emphasized that the case should be formally pursued and investigated, including examining whether any commission was paid in connection with the smuggling of the Dwarapalaka panels. The Vigilance also flagged the Devaswom Commissioner’s inaction in the matter as suspicious. The bench, headed by Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan, is considering the case and will conduct a detailed examination of the report.
According to the Vigilance report, the gold plating on the Dwarapalaka panels was removed on July 20, 2019. It also stated that the gold from the panels was melted and came into the possession of Unnikrishnan Potty, who carried out the fraud in association with Smart Creations. Members of the special investigation team probing the theft were also present in court.