The Kerala High Court has flagged serious irregularities in the Sabarimala temple gold-plating scandal, after nearly 475 grams of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols was found missing.
The two guardian idols, gold-cladded in 1999, were taken in 2019 by sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty for &ldquo;further plating.&rdquo; But when returned, a large portion of the original gold had vanished. The court noted that Smart Creations, the Chennai firm Potty used, had &ldquo;no technology to plate already gold-covered items.&rdquo; Despite that, Potty allegedly insisted the existing gold be removed and investigators found the missing gold had been handed directly to him without Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) records.
Calling the TDB&rsquo;s actions &ldquo;suspicious,&rdquo; the HC ordered a special probe led by ADGP (Crime) to examine all items gold-plated under Potty&rsquo;s supervision and barred officials from leaking details to the media.
The court warned the lapse could signal wider misappropriation of temple treasures, raising questions about accountability in one of Kerala&rsquo;s most sacred shrines.

Sabarimala Gold Missing: HC Flags Major Lapses

Kerala HC uncovers gold missing from Sabarimala idols, questions sponsor and TDB oversight

Sabarimala Gold Missing: HC Flags Major Lapses

Kerala HC uncovers gold missing from Sabarimala idols, questions sponsor and TDB oversight

October 11, 2025 | 16:47 IST