Police in southern India launched a criminal investigation after the suspected theft of gold from the revered Sabarimala temple, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the country, caused a scandal.
The temple, dedicated to the Hindu deity Ayyappa, attracts millions of devotees every year. It’s administered by the Travancore Devaswom Board, a government body which oversees nearly 1,200 temples across Kerala state.
The scandal erupted into public view after the Kerala High Court ordered a Special Investigation Team to look into why around 475 grams of the temple’s gold had not been returned following a renovation project in 2019.
The project, sponsored by priest-turned-businessman Unnikrishnan Potty, involved replating the gold-clad copper plates of the idols as well as the sanctum sanctorum’s door frames at a firm based in Chennai city, in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
According to court documents, the Travancore Devaswom Board had inexplicably recorded these valuable items as “copper plates” even though they were gold-clad.
Investigators suspect the gold plating was removed and misappropriated. The High Court observed that Smart Creations, the company chosen for the work, lacked the technology to gold-plate pre-clad items and questioned why it was selected.
The investigators arrested Mr Potty on Friday after questioning him in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
He is accused of theft, criminal breach of trust, and conspiracy, along with a former president, A Padmakumar, two board members and nine officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board.
The investigation, which the court says must be completed in six weeks, also covers allegations of missing gold from other parts of the temple, including its Sreekovil or inner sanctum door frames.
The origin of this scandal lies in a 1998 donation of over 30kg gold and 1,900kg copper by now-disgraced industrialist Vijay Mallya to adorn parts of the temple complex. Court reviews later revealed the weight of the gold-plated items had significantly dropped, indicating large-scale theft.
In the wake of the latest allegations, the Devaswom Board’s vigilance wing identified lapses by nine officials, and initiated disciplinary action against one.
“It’s clear that the current board has nothing to do with the issue,” board president PS Prasanth said. “Then why are allegations being raised against us?”
He said the controversy shouldn’t be allowed to derail preparations for the annual pilgrimage season, which was expected to bring around six million devotees to the shrine.
VN Vasavan, Kerala’s minister for temples, called the incident “nothing short of theft” and vowed to hold the culprits accountable.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan stressed that the government “will never protect any wrongdoers”.
The opposition demanded an investigation by the federal agency CBI. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal accused the government of “trying to hide the incident” while leader of opposition in the assembly, VD Satheesan, alleged large-scale corruption and demanded ministerial resignations.
The ruling Communist Party of India Marxist is seeking to limit reputational damage as Mr Padmakumar is a senior member of the party. Mr Padmakumar said: “There is an attempt to put the entire blame on me. There are other people who are answerable.”
Meanwhile, prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party accused the state government of “daylight robbery”.
“The High Court doesn’t trust the Devaswom Board or the government. Why does Devaswom minister still cling to his chair?” central minister V Muraleedharan said, referring to Mr Vasavan.
Sabarimala’s head priest, Kandararu Rajeevaru, welcomed the court’s intervention, calling the scandal “very painful for devotees”.
The High Court has ordered that the investigation be conducted confidentially and progress reports submitted under seal.
The scandal comes at a time of record-high gold prices in India – nearly Rs 128,000 (£1,082) per 10 grams – and a surge in smuggling amid demand ahead of Diwali.
Officials confirmed smuggling into India, the world’s second-largest gold consumer, had soared in recent weeks, driven by supply shortages and high profit margins for grey market traders.
