Gold, graft, and governance

It was conscionable past 8 p.m. connected September 7, 2025 a sleepy Sunday. The Sabarimala hillock, from its bustling basal astatine Pampa-Triveni to the ineffable heights above, was dilatory sinking into the stillness of the night.

The Onam festivities astatine the Ayyappa temple atop the elevation had conscionable concluded, and the devotees who thronged the temple in hordes had each gone back. The elevation temple, a tract that thrums with devotees adjacent during little pilgrimage periods, was mostly deserted.

The portals of the famed temple remained closed, leaving down lone a fistful of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials and priests astatine the Sannidhanam, the spot wherever the temple is located.

As the hillock slipped into the quietness of the chilly night, the TDB officials, led by the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner (official successful complaint of the invaluable ornaments utilized to adorn the deities of the temples) and a devaswom smith, cautiously removed the gold-inlaid copper plates from the Dwarapalaka (idols that basal defender to the deity astatine the gross of the sanctum sanctorum) idols.

The process, which lasted nether an hour, was video-recorded and a mahazar (the papers successful which the proceedings of an authoritative inspection are recorded) was prepared by incorporating the carnal information and value of each 12 sheets earlier they were removed to the vaults of the temple. By dawn, the plates were escorted to Smart Creations, a backstage steadfast successful Chennai, which claimed to person been specialising successful golden plating, for re-plating, arsenic the metallic plates had reportedly mislaid sheen and developed cracks connected the surface.

The developments came arsenic a daze for R. Jayakrishnan, Special Commissioner for Sabarimala temple appointed by the Kerala High Court to oversee temple absorption and related matters.

A discreet enquiry confirmed his doubts.

To his disbelief, Jayakrishnan, besides a serving territory judge, discovered that the gold-inlaid copper plates were removed from the Dwarapalaka idols and shifted retired of the temple premises without the anterior support of the Devaswom Bench of the court. Wasting nary time, Jayakrishnan brought the contented to the announcement of the Bench done his report.

“The repair of golden ornaments is usually carried retired connected the temple premises and lone with anterior tribunal sanction. The tribunal was not informed of this work. Strict directives indispensable beryllium issued to guarantee that nary large attraction astatine the Sannidhanam oregon Malikappuram is undertaken without the High Court’s permission,” noted the report.

While filing his report, small did Jayakrishnan realise that helium was throwing airy connected a bid of alleged irregularities and misdeeds that would spell connected to stone the State successful an unprecedented manner.

What had initially appeared to beryllium regular attraction of the damaged gold-inlaid copper plates reportedly turned retired to beryllium a well-planned loot, carried retired by a cohort of officials, middlemen, and temple administrators, going by the observations of the court.

Taking a cue from Jayakrishnan’s report, a Division Bench, which had Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar, raised the pertinent question of however the golden plating mislaid its sheen successful six years of restoration. The court, which was convinced of the evident breach of its earlier orders, called for the contiguous seizure of each related documents.

An introspection of the records revealed that the gold-inlaid copper plates weighed 4 kg little erstwhile they were returned to the temple aft golden plating. More shocking irregularities were lying unnoticed successful the records to beryllium revealed later. The gold-clad copper plates were marked arsenic copper plates successful the mahazar, portion handing them implicit to Unnikrishnan Potti, a Bengaluru-based Keralite, who offered to sponsor the gold-plating works.

It has besides emerged that six years aft the reported nonaccomplishment of value of the metallic sheets, TDB officials chose to conveniently place the facet and erstwhile again dispatched the metallic parts for re-plating to Smart Creations. The TDB authorities had ignored an earlier informing of the Tiruvabharanam Commissioner that the bureau lacked expertise for golden plating successful the process.

The Vigilance probe held TDB officials Murari Babu, D. Sudheesh Kumar, and S. Jayashree liable for the incorrect signaling of gold-clad sheets arsenic “plain copper” successful 2019. A peculiar probe squad is probing each angles of the scam pursuing a High Court order. Meanwhile, Potti, the premier accused, was arrested and interrogated successful constabulary custody.

TDB president P.S. Prasanth, however, is unfazed by the reported findings of the Vigilance officials regarding the alleged connivance of TDB officials and the engagement of Potti successful the scam.

“A verification of the connection betwixt the committee and assorted parties would amusement that Potti’s sanction was not mentioned anywhere, and that the plates were taken to Chennai nether choky security. Unfortunately, the tribunal chose to formed aspersions connected america for nary responsibility of ours,” helium says.

The High Court, alarmed astatine the repeated lapses, directed the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer of the committee to probe further, portion besides raising concerns astir the beingness of a 2nd acceptable of pedestals of Dwarapalaka idols and their pedestals, reportedly donated to the temple by Potti.

The case, from this point, took a sensational crook erstwhile Potti claimed the pedestals had been missing for six years. The ailment came adjacent connected the heels of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, a league the TDB, organisers of the event, and the Kerala authorities claimed arsenic the gathering of Ayyappa devotees worldwide to place and prioritise the improvement needs of the temple and its pilgrims.

The TDB promptly denied the custody of the pedestals, portion Vigilance officers recovered that immoderate pedestals had been returned successful 2021 and kept astatine the location of 1 of Potti’s adjacent aides. Subsequent investigations exposed a bid of procedural violations, unauthorised interventions, and fiscal dealings linked to the 2019 gold-plating, including outsourced enactment connected broadside frames, doorway portals, and lintels of the temple.

“The incidents person exposed the unholy nexus betwixt TDB officials and definite outsiders, who assertion to bask adjacent ties with the temple,” points retired a TDB source.

“Last year, the High Court had to intervene to halt the astir 10-year-long enactment of a high-profile businessman successful 1 of the TDB impermanent houses. The latest developments corroborate the beingness and operations of individuals favoured by the TDB,” helium says.

G. Raman Nair, a erstwhile TDB president, feels that determination are galore systemic gaps that corrupt officers connected work astatine the Sannidhanam could exploit to pilfer valuables oregon wealth from the elevation shrine. “The valuables and income astatine Sabarimala are documented by these officials. Any slip-ups successful the documentation, whether inadvertent oregon deliberate, tin easy unfastened the doorway to loot. Officials with impeccable records should beryllium posted astatine the Sabarimala temple,” helium says.

A elder TDB authoritative observes that the lawsuit has confirmed the beingness of a wider ecosystem operating astir Sabarimala, which thrives connected the cult of Lord Ayyappa. The web often operates beyond the Kerala borders, particularly successful confederate States.

“The mode Potti allegedly took the temple’s doors and ornaments for rituals and exhibitions to the homes of affluent radical successful Bengaluru and Chennai indicates his manipulative skills,” helium says.

Prasanth excessively acknowledges the beingness of specified networks, which capitalise connected the immense devotee basal of Sabarimala and Lord Ayyappa, particularly successful confederate States. “There is small the committee tin do, arsenic these unsolicited activities mostly hap extracurricular Kerala. Individuals specified arsenic Potti marketplace themselves among the affluent, claiming to person connections to the elevation temple, and cod wealth by conducting rituals and offering sponsorship,” helium says.

For the ruling Left Democratic Front government, the Sabarimala contention could not person travel astatine a worse time. Just arsenic it appeared to person secured the backing of the Nair Service Society and the SNDP Yogam, the 2 salient Hindu caste organisations for the Sangamam, the ungraded erupted. The State government, too, is feeling the vigor of the issue, arsenic astatine slightest 3 TDB presidents appointed during its tenure are nether aggravated scrutiny.

Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan suspects that a governmental crippled is being played retired astatine Sabarimala to defame the government. “Just aft the Global Ayyappa Sangamam concluded, a revelation by Potti connected missing pedestals was telecast connected a TV channel. The adjacent day, the Leader of the Opposition raised it successful the Assembly, highlighting the contents of the revelation. In the pursuing days, the stolen point was yet recovered from Potti’s possession.” The developments, suspects Vasavan, mightiness beryllium portion of a well-scripted conspiracy to defame the government.

The NSS is taking a guarded attack to the controversies, whereas the SNDP Yogam has demanded a CBI probe.

The developments, for the Congress-led Opposition, person presented an accidental to country the government, particularly astatine a clip erstwhile the elections to section bodies are due.

“The contiguous devaswom committee removed the Dwarapalaka sculptures and different items successful usurpation of the Devaswom Manual and the High Court’s ruling. The Devaswom Minister and the TDB are arsenic culpable successful the case. The Devaswom Minister should resign owning up the work for the scam and the committee should beryllium dismissed,” says V.D. Satheesan, Leader of the Opposition.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had been watching the developments from the sidelines, has deed the crushed moving with a nationalist protestation successful Pathanamthitta.

Seven years aft the turbulent protests pursuing the Supreme Court’s bid permitting women’s introduction to the Sabarimala, the temple has erstwhile again recovered itself successful the midst of governmental battles and raging controversies.