Kerala HC Orders fresh gold Testing, vigilance Probe into Sabarimala Temple Case

KOCHI:
The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered a fresh scientific examination of the gold-coated plates at Sabarimala and directed a special vigilance investigation into the reconstruction of the temple’s flagstaff (kodimaram), widening the scope of scrutiny in the long-running Sabarimala gold theft case.

Acting on a request by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), the court directed that new samples be taken from the gold-coated plates and sent to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, for detailed analysis.

Earlier, samples had been examined by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), whose report, submitted before the Kollam Vigilance Court and later reviewed by the High Court, raised unresolved questions.

The court observed that VSSC had been unable to offer clear answers on certain crucial aspects, prompting the need for a fresh examination at BARC.

The renewed testing aims to establish whether the plates were altered in any manner and to determine the actual quantity of gold present, providing scientific evidence central to the investigation.

The court clarified that the order was interim in nature and directed the SIT to proceed with sample collection after the temple reopens for the monthly ‘puja (worship)’ next week.

Simultaneously, the High Court ordered a swift vigilance probe into the 2017 reconstruction of the Sabarimala flagstaff, carried out during the tenure of the UDF-led Devaswom Board.

At the time, the Board was headed by the late Prayar Gopalakrishnan, a former Congress MLA, his party colleague Ajay Tharayil and CPI(M) leader Raghavan among its members.

The court noted that ambiguity persists regarding the gold received as donations for the project and said clarity must be established.

It also left open the option of registering the matter as a separate case, if warranted.

The replacement of the flagstaff had earlier fallen within the SIT’s ambit.

The investigation gained momentum after a ceremonial vehicle (vaji vahanam) linked to the old flagstaff was found in the temple Tantri’s residence and was later produced in the court.

Officials involved in the replacement process were subsequently questioned.

The High Court had earlier directed that events between 1998 and 2025 be probed in four distinct phases.

While the old flagstaff was dismantled and a new one installed in 2017, the ceremonial vehicle removed from it was handed over to Tantri Kandarar Rajeevar.

Though the Tantri later expressed willingness to return it following the emergence of the gold theft controversy, the former Board reportedly declined to take it back.

The case will be taken up again on February 19, as investigations on multiple fronts intensify.