The Kerala High Court on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) directed the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (Superintendent of Police) to conduct a detailed inquiry into the alleged loss of nearly 4 kilograms of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols of the Sabarimala temple.
The matter came to light during the Court’s intervention in a suo motu petition, initiated after the Special Commissioner submitted a report raising doubts about the manner in which gold plating was removed and re-applied on the temple idols.
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar noted that the weight of gold cladded copper plates had decreased by about 4 kilograms after the idols were handed over for repair and electroplating works.
The idols had been sent by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to Smart Creations (8th respondent) for electroplating, with financial sponsorship from devotee Unnikrishnan Potty (7th respondent).
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.”
Accordingly, the Court has directed the officer to engineer a full inquiry into the matter and submit a comprehensive report within three weeks.
The Court further directed that registers produced before it by the 5th respondent be returned for proper investigation, while directing the Travancore Devaswom Board to extend full cooperation. The Bench stressed that the truth of the matter must be brought to light through transparent inquiry.
Earlier, the Court had ordered TDB to bring back the gold plating that had been removed, though it later permitted repair works to continue under supervision. In its suo motu action, the Court had impleaded both Potty and Smart Creations, demanding the production of all records relating to the gold plating and repair work.
It had also instructed the Superintendent of Police, Chief Vigilance and Security Officer to seize the entire record relating to gold plating/cladding of the Dwarapalakas, door lintel, door panel, Lakshmi Roopam, and Kamanam, dating back to the time of original cladding.
Missing Records and Further Investigation
Pursuant to these directions, the 5th respondent placed three sets of mahazar documents before the Court. However, he stated that certain mahazars that could shed light on the gold cladding history of the idols could not be traced. The Court has given time to locate the missing records and to verify whether another set of Dwarapalaka idols is preserved in the Aranmula strong room.
Case Details
• Case Title: Suo Motu v. State of Kerala & Ors.
• Case Number: SSCR No. 23 of 2025
• Bench: Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar
The Court will next consider the matter after the Vigilance Officer submits his detailed inquiry report.
