The Kerala High Court has directed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged discrepancies in the weight of gold in the Dwarapalaka idols of Sabarimala temple. This development follows the Court's intervention in a suo motu petition initiated based on a report from the Special Commissioner, which revealed that the gold-cladded copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols and the Peedam on which the idols were fixed were removed without prior intimation to the Court.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), with sponsorship from devotee Unnikrishnan Potty, had sent the items to Smart Creations for electroplating. During the hearing, the Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar noted that the weight of the gold had reduced by approximately 4 kg after the idols were handed over to the 7th respondent on an earlier occasion in 2019.
In response, the Court had previously appointed Justice K.T. Sankaran, a former Judge of the Kerala High Court, to appraise all valuables of the Sabarimala Temple. The Court had permitted the engagement of a jewel appraiser of proven expertise to conduct a thorough appraisal of all items in the strong room, as well as those recorded in the Thiruvabharanam Register and the items that had been gold-cladded.
Further details regarding the Special Investigation Team constituted are expected in the detailed order from the Court. The matter is next listed for hearing on Friday, October 10.
Case Title: Suo Motu v State of Kerala
Case No: SSCR 23/2025
Counsel for Respondents: S Rajmohan (Sr. GP), G Biju, R Sudhish, M Manju, K B Pradeep, Kshema Elozabeth Samuel, Aneeta Nirmal Mamen
Amicus Curiae: Sayujya Radhkrishnan
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