Sabarimala Gold Plating Case: Vigilance Report Submitted to Kerala High Court, SIT Directed to Register Case
Kochi: A day after recording the statements of officials from Chennai-based Smart Creations—the firm that carried out electroplating of the gold-clad copper coverings of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at the Sabarimala temple—the Vigilance and Security Wing of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) submitted its detailed report to the Kerala High Court on Friday (October 10, 2025).
Following the submission, the High Court directed that the Vigilance report be handed over to the State Police Chief, who must instruct the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to register a case regarding the reduction in the weight of the gold-plated copper coverings.
The report is expected to reach the SIT that was constituted earlier this week under the High Court’s directive to probe alleged irregularities that resulted in a reduction of over 4.5 kilograms in the weight of the gold-clad copper panels since 2019. The team is led by S. Sasidharan, SP, under the supervision of Additional DGP H. Venkatesh.
The Court has also permitted the SIT to investigate related aspects, including possible irregularities in the gold-cladding of the frame structures and the fate of 474.90 grams of gold reportedly removed from the copper coverings before electroplating, which remains unaccounted for.
The Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar had earlier ordered the formation of the SIT after the TDB’s Vigilance Wing submitted an interim report highlighting discrepancies in the gold-plating work.
The investigation revolves around the significant reduction in the weight of the Dwarapalaka idols following their dispatch to the Chennai firm for electroplating by Unnikrishnan Potti, who was then associated with the temple’s administrative works.