Kerala High Court conducted an in-camera hearing today regarding the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala temple. The Court restricted public and media access, keeping the sensitive proceedings completely confidential.
The Kerala High Court conducted an in-camera hearing today regarding the alleged loss of gold from the gold-plated copper plates that cover the ‘Dwarapalaka idols’ (door guardians) at the Sabarimala temple.
The decision to hold the proceedings in-camera was announced by the Court’s Registry the previous day.
A Division Bench consisting of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar presided over the case, restricting public and media access during the hearing.
Previously, the Court had ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the matter and cautioned the media against sensationalizing the issue. It directed all officials involved in the investigation to avoid sharing any information with the media.
During today’s proceedings, the Investigating Officer presented an interim report to the Court in a sealed cover. The Court has been overseeing this sensitive case since September, following reports of procedural lapses and discrepancies regarding the handling of the gold-plated copper plates that cover the Dwarapalaka idols in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.
Suo motu proceedings were initiated based on a report from the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, which raised concerns that the gold-plated copper coverings were sent for repairs to Smart Creations, a firm based in Chennai, without prior notification to the Court or the commissioner.
The Court took a serious stance on a discrepancy of approximately 4.54 kilograms between the gold sent for repair and the amount reportedly received by the firm. It was noted that 42.8 kg of gold-plated items were given to a devotee named Unnikrishnan Potti, who sponsored the repairs and sent the items to the firm.
However, the firm’s records indicated that only about 38 kg of items were received for repair.
The Court remarked that such inconsistencies, along with the lack of oversight from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) during the transport and handling of these items, necessitated an independent, court-monitored investigation. It also found inaccuracies in the TDB’s registers concerning temple jewelry.
Consequently, the Court appointed retired judge Justice KT Sankaran to supervise a fresh and comprehensive inventory of all valuables at the Sabarimala temple.
Given the sensitive nature of the case, the Court opted for an in-camera hearing today. An interim order has been issued, but details are yet to be made public.
Senior government pleader S Rajmohan represented the State, while standing counsel G Biju appeared for the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Advocate Sayujya Radhakrishnan served as amicus curiae for the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, and advocates R Sudhish and M Manju represented Unnikrishnan Potti.
Case Title: Suo Motu v State of Kerala & ors
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