Sabarimala: The probe into the Sabarimala gold theft gained significant momentum on Monday with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) launching critical evidence-collection procedures from the hallowed sanctum sanctorum at the temple.
The collection was done in the interval when the temple closed after the morning session.
Acting on explicit directives of the High Court, the SIT began removing select gold sheets from the temple structure to facilitate forensic testing.
Gold plates from the Dwarapalaka idols and portions of the Sreekovil’s right panel were carefully detached to collect samples.
Officials said the sheets would be weighed, tested for purity, and later reinstated.
The procedure marks the most decisive step so far in verifying allegations that gold originally meant for temple refurbishment had been siphoned off and replaced with substandard material.
The SIT inspections come at a time when questions around possible financial irregularities are also intensifying.
The ED approached the High Court after a Ranni court rejected its plea for access to FIRs, witness statements, and related documents from the state police investigation.
The central agency told the Court that it suspects money-laundering links to the alleged misappropriation, and requires full documentation to conduct a parallel probe into any illegal financial transactions.
A single bench of Justice C.S. Dias directed that the ED’s plea be placed before the Devaswom Division Bench, which is already hearing matters connected to the gold-plating case.
The Bench noted that the Chief Justice must determine the appropriate forum, given the sensitive nature of the issue.
The court also observed that judicial consistency demanded that all related petitions be heard by the same Bench.
Investigators believe that the alleged theft linked to gold plating carried out on temple structures during 2019 involves significant discrepancies between the quantity of gold allotted and the material actually used.
The SIT’s fresh round of measurements and examinations is expected to play a crucial role in establishing whether large-scale diversion took place.
With both the SIT’s scientific enquiry and the ED’s financial scrutiny gathering pace, the Sabarimala gold-plating case has entered its most critical phase, setting the stage for major developments in the coming weeks.
So far five people, four of them either serving or former officials attached to the Travancore Devaswom Board are behind bars apart from the prime accused ‘sponsor’ Unnikrishnan Potti.
(IANS)
