Kerala HC Orders Special Team to Investigate Serious Issues in Sabarimala Flagstaff Work
The Kerala High Court on Monday (February 9) ordered that a preliminary investigation report be submitted within 30 days regarding the re-consecration of the flagstaff (kodimaram) at Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple. It also directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to form a special team. The court instructed that all documents, including the mahazar (official record), be handed over to the Vigilance Director. The High Court further ordered that statements from those who donated gold be recorded and that financial transaction records be examined.
Statements must be recorded from the gold donors. This is the twelfth interim order issued by the High Court’s Devaswom Bench in connection with the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case. The court observed that the irregularities in the construction of the flagstaff are of a serious nature. According to a report submitted by the Chief Vigilance Superintendent, 412 grams of gold were collected from about six people for the flagstaff construction. However, Ajay Tharayil, a Devaswom Board member in 2017, had stated that no gold was collected from anyone.
Suspicion has increased because details of the gold received as donations were not recorded in the mahazar. The court observed that Devaswom rules were not followed in connection with the flagstaff construction. Vigilance findings say that although 27 people donated gold, the details recorded in the mahazar are unclear.
The reconstruction project was carried out during the tenure of the UDF-led Devaswom Board. The Board was then headed by late Prayar Gopalakrishnan, a former Congress MLA. Other members included Ajay Tharayil of the Congress and CPI(M) leader Raghavan.
According to the SIT’s preliminary findings, the decision to replace the old flagstaff was taken after it was found to have significantly deteriorated due to wear and tear. In 2017, 9.16 kilograms of gold were purchased from the Customs department. The total gold available — including Customs purchases and donations — was recorded at 9,573 grams, while the quantity shown as used for the new flagstaff was 9,340 grams.
The Phoenix company based in Hyderabad had provided ₹3.2 crore for the construction of the flagstaff. However, there are allegations that the Devaswom Board does not have proper records of the gold donated separately by devotees. The High Court has ordered the formation of a special team to investigate these matters.
However, the SIT noted major procedural lapses. The absence of individual donor receipts made it impossible to verify the exact quantity of gold donated, amounting to a serious violation of Devaswom rules and financial accountability norms.
The court noted that there is still lack of clarity regarding the gold received as donations for the flagstaff reconstruction. It said the details must be clearly established and stated that a separate case can be registered if necessary based on the findings of the probe.
The flagstaff replacement is already part of the SIT investigation. The case drew wider attention after a ceremonial vehicle (vaji vahanam) connected to the old flagstaff was found at the Tantri’s residence and later produced before the court. Following this development, officials involved in the replacement work were questioned by investigators.
Earlier, the High Court had directed that events related to the matter from 1998 to 2025 be examined in four separate phases. The old flagstaff was dismantled in 2017 and replaced with a new one. The ceremonial vehicle attached to it was handed over to Tantri Kandarar Rajeevar.
After the gold theft controversy surfaced, the Tantri reportedly expressed willingness to return the vaji vahanam. However, the former Devaswom Board is said to have declined to accept it back.
A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar passed the interim order after examining an initial report from the SIT about complaints of gold and cash misuse linked to the 2017 flagstaff replacement.
The case will be considered again on the 19th February.