Sabarimala gold theft row: TDB to approach Court for "comprehensive probe"

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 4 (ANI): Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president PS Prasanth on Saturday said that the Board, along with the Devaswom Minister, has decided to approach the Court for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged Sabarimala gold-plated pedestal theft.
Speaking to ANI on the issue, Prasanth said, "I met with the Devaswom Minister yesterday, and both the Minister and the Board have decided to request the court for a comprehensive probe covering everything from Vijay Mallya's gold plating in 1998 up to the events of 2025. This will include the shortfall in gold, other doubts related to the gold, and all such controversies."
He emphasised that a great temple like Sabarimala should never be left under a cloud of suspicion.
"For us, there is nothing to hide or conceal, which is why we are demanding a detailed investigation. In 2025, when the Dwarapalaka gold plates were taken to Chennai, all due procedures were strictly followed. We have nothing to hide or suppress in this matter," the TDB President said.
The controversy surrounds the gold-plated Dwarapalaka idols and pedestals at the Lord Ayyappa temple.
Earlier today, former Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Kummanam Rajasekharan demanded the resignation of all members of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and its president PS Prasanth.
Alleging that the golden cover from the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala temple was "taken purposefully", Rajasekharan, former Mizoram Governor, sought an investigation into the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Meanwhile, the Vigilance wing of the TDB is currently investigating the alleged theft of two copper-gold-leaf-covered metal plaques donated to the Sabarimala temple in 2019. There are also allegations surrounding the more than 30 kg of gold donated to the temple by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998. The TDB Vigilance has reported that key records related to Mallya's donations had gone missing from the Sabarimala Executive Office.
The Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple had gold-plated plates, originally installed in 1999, with the intention of keeping them there for the next 40 years. However, defects were seen in the plates after just a few years. In 2019, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) removed the plates for repairing.
Historical records indicate that the 1998 gold cladding, completed in 1999, was undertaken under the leadership of Chennai-based jeweller Nagarajan of JNR Jewellery, with the expertise of 53 artisans from Tamil Nadu. The process involved layering gold beaten into thin foils and bonding them onto copper plates with mercury.
In 2019, during repairs, Devaswom records listed the removed panels as copper sheets. When the replated panels were returned, records showed a reduction of 4.41 kg. Unnikrishnan Potty testified that the sheets given to him were copper-based with residual gold, which had been later replated at a Chennai firm. (ANI)