Kerala High Court has asked the Vigilance Officer to investigate the 4 kg gold loss from Sabarimala idols. Court stressed a transparent inquiry to uncover the truth.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday, 17 September 2025, directed the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, who is also the Superintendent of Police, to conduct a full and detailed investigation into the serious allegation of nearly 4 kilograms of gold going missing from the Dwarapalaka idols of the Sabarimala temple.
This issue came before the Court during its intervention in a suo motu case. The suo motu proceedings were started after the Special Commissioner of the temple filed a report raising doubts about the way the gold plating on the idols had been removed and then reapplied.
A Division Bench consisting of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar noted during the hearing that there was a significant difference in the weight of the idols after the repair and electroplating work.
The judges pointed out that the gold cladded copper plates weighed almost 4 kilograms less after they were returned.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had earlier handed over the idols to Smart Creations, which was the 8th respondent in the case, for electroplating.
The financial sponsorship for this work came from a devotee, Unnikrishnan Potty, who was arrayed as the 7th respondent in the proceedings.
The Bench orally observed:
“We are of the view that the reduction in the weight of the gold cladded copper plates, the handing over of the same to the 7th respondent, the delay in production before the 8th respondent, and the description of the plates as merely ‘copper plates’ instead of ‘gold cladded copper plates’ in the 2017 mahazar all call for a proper and detailed inquiry at the hands of the Vigilance and Security Officer.”
Taking note of these concerns, the Court directed the Vigilance Officer to carry out a complete inquiry into the matter and submit a detailed report within three weeks.
The Bench also ordered that registers produced by the 5th respondent before the Court be returned so that they can be used for proper investigation. It was further directed that the Travancore Devaswom Board should extend full cooperation in the process.
Stressing the importance of transparency, the judges remarked that the truth of the matter should come out only through a fair and transparent inquiry.
Earlier, the High Court had issued directions to the TDB to bring back the gold plating that had been removed from the idols. Later, however, the Court allowed the repair works to continue but only under proper supervision.
During the suo motu proceedings, the Court impleaded both devotee Unnikrishnan Potty and Smart Creations as parties to the case and demanded production of all records connected with the gold plating and repair work.
The Court had also asked the Superintendent of Police, Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, to seize all the records connected to the gold cladding of the Dwarapalakas, the door lintel, the door panel, Lakshmi Roopam, and Kamanam, right from the time of the original cladding itself.
Following these directions, the 5th respondent produced three sets of mahazar documents before the Court. However, it was admitted that certain mahazars which could throw light on the history of gold cladding on the idols could not be traced.
The Court, therefore, gave more time to locate the missing records. It also directed verification of whether another set of Dwarapalaka idols is currently preserved in the Aranmula strong room.
The matter has now been posted for the next hearing after the Vigilance Officer submits his inquiry report.
Case Title:
Suo Motu v. State of Kerala & Ors.
SSCR No. 23 of 2025
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