Speaking to mediapersons here on Friday, Satheesan alleged that a theft of large quantities of gold had been carried out in Sabarimala in collusion with the LDF government and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
Photo: IANS
Opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan has demanded a High Court-monitored CBI probe into the controversy surrounding the gold-plating of the Dwarapalaka idols at the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Friday, Satheesan alleged that a theft of large quantities of gold had been carried out in Sabarimala in collusion with the LDF government and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). He alleged that this was a planned theft with both the previous and current Travancore Devaswom Boards, and the LDF government complicit in covering up the crime.
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Satheesan said that between 2019 and 2025, the gilded coverings were removed from the temple several times, apparently for repair and refurbishment, and subsequently taken to workshops in Hyderabad and Chennai. “The case had inter-state ramifications and lay beyond the jurisdiction of the Kerala Police. Therefore, a CBI investigation is needed,” he said.
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CBI investigation should be conducted against the present devaswom minister Vasavan, former devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran, and the present and previous presidents of the TDB.
The senior Congress leader has called on the government and the Devaswom Board to clarify how much of the 30 kilograms of gold donated to Sabarimala in 1998 by industrialist Vijay Mallya still remains.
“The gold-plating carried out in 1999 was said to have a 40-year warranty. However, in 2019, it was taken for replating, and there was a delay of 39 to 40 days between when it was taken from Sabarimala and when it reached Chennai,” Satheesan said. He alleged that the gold was stolen during this time interval.
He also demanded the resignation of the state Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan, and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President over the Sabarimala gold missing issue.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has on Friday said that it is becoming clear that the looting that has taken place at Sabarimala in the last nine and a half years is unprecedented in the history of Kerala.
Speaking to media in Pathanamthitta, he said that stories are now emerging that a group of people who do not believe in the temple have cheated Ayyappa devotees by even taking away the offerings given to the Lord by the devotees.
The ministers who have been handling the Devaswom department since 2019, the Devaswom Board Presidents members and officials of TDB are all guilty in this scam, he said, adding strong action should be taken against them.
As per uncovered documents, the dwarapalaka idols and pedestals at Sabarimala temple were layered with gold in 1999, using a portion of the gold and copper donated by industrialist Vijay Mallya. According to the TDB Sub-Group Manual, repair work on these idols was to be carried out at Sabarimala itself. However, in 2019, the plates were handed over to a sponsor named Unnikrishnan Potty for re-plating. The 2019 mahazars (inventories), however, listed the items merely as “copper plates”, omitting any mention of gold cladding.
During a recent High Court proceedings, it was revealed that the plates weighed 42.8 kg in 2019 (including gold cladding) but, upon return, showed a shortfall of 4.54 kg of gold, raising suspicions of misappropriation. When the controversy first erupted, the TDB’s positioning was such as to direct suspicion towards Potty. However, the controversy deepened after the Chennai-based firm, Smart Creations, clarified that the Dwarapalaka plate sent to the company in 2019 was not gold-plated but entirely made of copper.
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