Kerala HC orders setting up of SIT to probe Sabarimala gold plate row

The order by the division bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar came in the suo motu case taken up based on the finding that the purported gold-clad copper sheets enveloping the ‘dwarapalaka’ idols were handed out by the Devaswom authorities to a priest-turned-businessman recently for repairs in Chennai without the permission of either the Special Commissioner (Sabarimala) or the high court.

It was also found in the report submitted by the Special Commissioner last month that the gold-clad sheets, sent for similar repairs in 2019, had shrunk in weight by approximately 4.5kg when they were returned to the Devaswom authorities after the repairs. Incidentally, the man who had purportedly volunteered to fund the repairs of the sheets and had taken them to Chennai for repairs both in 2019 and this year was Unnikrishnan Potty, the Bengaluru-based businessman currently at the centre of the row.

“We are of the view that a special team of officers of the highest integrity is required to probe this matter. H Venkatesh IPS, ADGP (law and order) in the Kerala Police can be appointed as head of the SIT to investigate all aspects of the matter,” the HC said.