Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member K.P. Sankaradas, who is in judicial custody in connection with the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case, even as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) widened its probe into what it described as a well-orchestrated money-laundering operation involving temple assets.
The court directed the constitution of a medical board to assess Sankaradas’s health condition and examine whether his treatment could continue while he is lodged in jail.
It ordered that the report be submitted in a sealed cover. Sankaradas is currently undergoing treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.
Sankaradas, the 11th accused in the case, was sent to custody after a Kollam Vigilance Court judge visited a private hospital where he had been admitted.
The High Court had earlier sharply criticised the delay in his arrest, remarking that he continued to remain hospitalised because his son is an IPS officer.
Following the court’s strong observations, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formally recorded his arrest, after which he was shifted to the Medical College Hospital under jail custody.
Meanwhile, the ED’s Kochi Zonal Office, invoking provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, conducted searches on January 20 at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The probe, based on two FIRs registered by the Kerala Police Crime Branch, has uncovered a criminal conspiracy allegedly involving senior TDB officials, former temple administrators, private sponsors, and jewellers.
According to the ED, sacred gold-clad artefacts of the Sabarimala temple, including Dwarapalaka idol components, pedestals and sanctum sanctorum door panels, were falsely recorded as “copper plates” between 2019 and 2025 and removed without authorisation.
These were transported to private facilities in Chennai and Karnataka, where gold was chemically extracted under the guise of repair work.
The ED seized incriminating documents, digital evidence and a 100-gram gold bar, and froze eight immovable properties of the prime accused worth about Rs 1.3 crore.
The agency said investigations are continuing to trace the proceeds of crime and identify further beneficiaries.
(IANS)
