Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT working freely under HC supervision, says Kerala DGP Ravada

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 9 (ANI): Kerala State Director General of Police Ravada Azad Chandrasekhar on Friday said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case is functioning independently under the supervision of the Kerala High Court, asserting that there is no pressure on the probe from any quarter.
Speaking to ANI, the DGP said, "SIT is looking into the matter. Whatever evidence emerges, it will be reviewed. SIT is functioning under the supervision of the Kerala High Court. There is no pressure from any corner at all. SIT is functioning freely."
Earlier in the day, former chief priest of the Sabarimala Temple, Kandararu Rajeevaru, was brought in for questioning by the SIT in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, in the latest development, former Devaswom Secretary S Jayashree appeared before the Special Investigation Team on Thursday as part of the ongoing probe into the Sabarimala gold theft case.
The controversy centres on alleged irregularities in the gold plating work carried out at the Sabarimala temple. The issue stems from a 1998 donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya, intended for the cladding of the sanctum sanctorum and the wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
On Monday, the Kerala High Court expressed satisfaction over the progress of the investigation and granted the SIT an additional six weeks to complete the probe. A Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar was hearing a suo motu writ petition related to the alleged removal and misappropriation of gold from the gold-clad Dwarapalakas and other structures of the Sabarimala Sreekovil.
When the matter came up for hearing, ADGP (Law and Order) H. Venkatesh, who heads the SIT, Investigating Officer S. Sasidharan, IPS, and the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board appeared before the Court and submitted a detailed status report on the investigation conducted so far.
As per the report, Crime No. 3700 of 2025 was registered in connection with the removal of gold from the Dwarapalaka idol plates and side pillar plates, in which 15 persons have been named as accused and nine arrested. Crime No. 3701 of 2025 pertains to the removal of gold cladding from the side frames of the Sreekovil doors and related plates, in which nine out of 12 accused have been arrested.
The SIT also informed the Court that 181 witnesses have been examined to date. The investigation covers events from 1998, when the UB Group initially applied gold cladding, through September 2025, when the Dwarapalakas were sent again for gold plating. The probe has been divided into four phases: the original gold cladding, the 2019 door replacement, the removal of gold-clad plates, and transactions related to gold plating in 2025. (ANI)