Sabarimala gold-plating row: Kerala HC orders SIT to seize Travancore Devaswom Board’s minutes books

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Special Investigation Team probing the alleged irregularities in the gold plating of idols in the Sabarimala temple to seize the books of the Travancore Devaswom Board with minutes of meetings, Bar and Bench reported.

The books from 2019 reportedly contain information from when the decision was taken to hand over the gold sheets and plating materials to a key accused in the matter.

The Travancore Devaswom Board is an autonomous government body that administers several Hindu temples in Kerala.

A division bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar also held that the investigation must be carried out under the court’s supervision, according to Live Law.

“Court-monitoring in a matter of such sensitivity and where passion runs high shall help in moving the machinery of inquiry/investigation at appropriate pace and its conclusion with utmost expedition without fear or favour,” held the bench.

The suo motu case was initiated in September after the Sabarimala special commissioner submitted a report highlighting that the gold plating of the temple idols was removed and sent to Smart Creations, a Chennai-based jewellery firm, without the court’s knowledge.

The firm had undertaken the gold-plating of the Dwarapalaka idols in 2019 and had also provided a 40-year warranty.

Six years later, the Travancore Devaswom Board returned the valuables to the...

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