SIT Files First Report in Sabarimala Temple Gold Theft Investigation to Kerala High Court

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Sabarimala gold theft submitted its first report to the Kerala High Court on Tuesday in a sealed cover, according to sources.

The report was presented before Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar during in-camera proceedings, with no lawyers present, as confirmed by court sources.

Officials from the police department stated that the report contains details regarding the current progress of the SIT's investigation into the missing gold.

When assigning the case to the SIT, the High Court had instructed the team to submit a progress report within a two-week timeframe and complete the entire investigation within six weeks.

The formation of the SIT came following a court-initiated plea that revealed the gold loss situation.

This plea emerged when the bench was informed about the removal of gold-plated copper claddings from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at Sabarimala for repair and renovation purposes without proper court notification.

A subsequent vigilance report highlighted significant lapses by Devaswom officials regarding the gold loss, which prompted the court to order the SIT to register a criminal case and begin a thorough investigation.

Following these directives, the SIT registered two separate cases related to missing gold from both the Dwarapalaka idol plates and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frame, naming 10 individuals as accused, including Bengaluru-based Unnikrishnan Potty and several Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials.

Potty, who had sponsored the electroplating of the gold-clad copper plates on the Dwarapalaka idols and Sreekovil door frames in 2019, was subsequently arrested in connection with the case.