Kochi, Oct 10 (NationPress) The Kerala High Court has mandated the initiation of a criminal investigation and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry into the disappearance of gold plating from the sacred structures at Sabarimala, highlighting significant irregularities and inconsistencies. The court issued this order after reviewing the final report provided in a sealed envelope by the Devaswom Vigilance division.

The Chief Vigilance and Security Officer presented the report directly to the Devaswom Bench, which included Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar.

This case will now be passed on to the SIT, led by ADGP H. Venkitesh, for further investigation.

The court indicated that about 475 grams of gold was unaccounted for following the 2019 gold plating of the temple's Dwarapalaka sculptures.

It emphasized the necessity of an unbiased inquiry and included the State Police Chief as a participant in the proceedings.

The gold was entrusted to Unnikrishnan Potti in 2019 under the instructions of the Devaswom Commissioner for plating purposes.

However, the mahazar recorded at that time, signed by the temple Tantri, referenced copper sheets instead of gold.

Fourteen sculptures dispatched to Smart Creations in Bengaluru still had their gold plating intact, yet Potti ordered its removal.

A discrepancy of 474.99 grams of gold was later identified.

The court remarked that while Smart Creations returned the gold to Potti, he failed to return it to the Devaswom Board.

The bench instructed the SIT to provide progress updates every two weeks and a final report within a six-week timeframe.

The Vigilance report is to be submitted to the State Police Chief, who is required to instruct the SIT to file the case and commence the investigation.

This issue escalated to court because the copper-plated sculptures were transported to Chennai for gold plating without notifying the Devaswom Commissioner or obtaining court consent.

The Vigilance investigation uncovered a 4.5 kg difference between the dispatched gold weight and what arrived in Chennai, as well as a 39-day delay in transportation.

Additional irregularities emerged when the missing pedestal of a plated sculpture was found in Potti's sister's residence.

The court also acknowledged a letter from Potti proposing to reuse gold from another sculpture to cut expenses, a suggestion that raised suspicions.

The Vigilance team discovered that no such additional sculpture existed.

Labeling it a significant violation involving temple property, the High Court remarked that this case illustrates a concerning lack of oversight.