The investigation into the alleged theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple’s sanctum sanctorum doorframes has been completed, but the filing of the final report remains on hold pending prosecution sanction. The Kerala High Court has now directed the authorities to speed up the process and remove the administrative delays holding up the case.
A Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar issued the direction after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) informed the Court that it had concluded its investigation into the alleged disappearance of gold from the temple’s gold-plated copper coverings.
The case centres on the alleged misappropriation of gold from the doorframes, sides and roof of the Sreekovil, the inner sanctum of the Sabarimala temple.
The Court directed the concerned authorities to obtain the necessary legal opinion without delay and place the request for prosecution sanction before the competent authority. Once approval is secured, the SIT must submit its final report before the jurisdictional court promptly.
Legal opinion holds up final report
SIT chief Sasidharan IPS told the Court that the investigation concerning the doorframes had been completed and that both a factual report and a draft chargesheet were ready.
However, the team has yet to seek prosecution sanction under Section 19(1)(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, a requirement before the chargesheet can be filed.
The delay stems from a pending opinion from an Assistant Legal Advisor who has been appointed but has not yet assumed charge, the Court was informed.
Director General of Prosecution T Asaf Ali assured the Bench that necessary steps would be taken to ensure the advisor takes charge and provides the required opinion without further delay.
Taking note of the situation, the Court called on the authorities to expedite the process so that the investigation can move towards its next stage without unnecessary administrative hurdles.
The Bench also directed the SIT to complete its investigation into a separate case involving the temple’s Dwarapalaka idols and seek prosecution sanction within the timelines already fixed by the Court.
How the alleged gold loss came to light
The case traces back to gold donated by a devotee in 1999 for the Dwarapalaka figures, along with the gold coverings fitted over the sides and roof of the temple’s sanctum.
In 2019, the coverings were removed and transported to Chennai for repair work. However, records prepared by the Travancore Devaswom Board at the time reportedly described the removed material as copper sheets rather than gold-plated copper plates.
The discrepancy gained significance when measurements taken after the repair work indicated that several kilograms of gold were missing.
In 2025, the temple’s special commissioner brought the removal of the gold-clad plates to the Court’s attention. The High Court subsequently initiated suo motu proceedings and constituted the SIT to investigate the alleged irregularities.
Since then, the Court has been monitoring the investigation and its progress.
The latest directions were issued during an in-camera hearing in the suo motu proceedings titled Suo Motu v. The State of Kerala & Ors.
With the doorframes investigation complete, the immediate focus is now on securing the pending legal opinion and prosecution sanction, allowing the SIT to place its final report before the competent court.