The Kerala High Court ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday to probe irregularities in the reduced weight of gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (Guardian Deity) idol at the Sabarimala Temple.
A bench consisting of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K. Vijaya Kumar directed the newly formed SIT after the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) vigilance team presented an interim report on its initial investigation into the case. The High Court has now appointed Superintendent of Police S. Sasidharan to lead the SIT. The functioning of the team will be supervised by Additional Director General of Police H. Venkatesh.
The bench has asked that the probe be conducted confidentially and the report be submitted directly to the court. Earlier, the court had directed the TDB vigilance team to look into the reduced weight of the Dwarapalaka after they were sent to a Chennai-based firm for electroplating in 2019, as sponsored by businessman Unnikrishnan Potty.
The matter came to light after allegations that several gold-plated panels were removed from the temple in 2019 and 2025 for restoration at workshops in Chennai and Hyderabad. These gold plates were mishandled, and discrepancies were reported in the weight and gold content. According to the records related to the gold-plated copper sheets of the idol, they weighed a total of 42.8 kg when last removed and sent for fresh gold plating in 2019. But the court observed that when they were produced before the company entrusted to carry out the gold plating, the weight was 38.258 kg.
The matter became talked about after Unnikrishnan Potty alleged that two gold-plated panels he had donated to the temple in 2019 are missing from the strongroom, soon before the TDB-sponsored Global Ayyappa Sangamam event occurred.