SIT to Submit First Progress Report on Sabarimala Gold Theft Case to Kerala High Court

Pathanamthitta: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged loss of gold from Sabarimala is expected to submit its first progress report to the Kerala High Court soon, police sources said on Monday.
The division bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar is scheduled to hear the case again on Tuesday. Sources said the SIT plans to present the report on the same day.
The report will provide details of the ongoing investigation, including the arrest of Bengaluru-based Unnikrishnan Potty, who is accused of sponsoring the electroplating of gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames in 2019. It will also cover the probe conducted in Chennai, where the electroplating of the plates was carried out.
The High Court, while assigning the case to the SIT, had directed the team to file a progress report within two weeks and set a six-week deadline for completing the investigation.
The SIT has registered two separate cases related to the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames. A total of ten individuals have been named as accused in both cases, including Potty and officials from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). The SIT is expected to question other accused persons in the coming days.
Justice KT Sankaran, the amicus curiae appointed to prepare an inventory of valuables, including gold at the hill shrine, is also expec