HC orders probe into gold weight of Sabarimala idols
The Kerala High Court ordered a vigilance probe into the weight reduction of gold-cladded copper plates of Sabarimala temple idols, highlighting serious irregularities.
Kochi: The Kerala high court on Wednesday ordered a vigilance probe into the reduction in weight of the gold-cladded copper plates of the ‘Dwarapalaka’ (guardian deity) idols at the Sabarimala temple, and directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which administers the shrine, to cooperate with the investigation.
A bench of justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar noted that according to the records regarding the gold-cladded copper sheets of the idols, when they were last removed in 2019 for fresh gold-plating, they weighed 42.8 kilograms. However, when they were produced before the company entrusted to carry out the gold-plating, their weight was 38.258 kg, the court noted.
The bench also pointed out that the reduction in weight was not reported by the TDB officials, who were present when the plates were produced for gold-plating.
Remarking that “these irregularities are of the gravest order”, the bench directed the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (superintendent of police) to undertake a comprehensive investigation and place a detailed and reasoned report before the court within three weeks.
It further directed the TDB to extend its full and immediate cooperation to the officer in the probe.
The order came on a suo motu (on its own) plea initiated by the high court with regard to the removal of the gold-plated copper sheets of the Dwarapalaka idols located in front of the Sabarimala sanctum sanctorum without prior intimation to the special commissioner of the shrine. Last week, the court had directed the TDB to bring back from Chennai the gold-plated copper sheets fitted above the Dwarapalaka idols.
(With PTI inputs)
