• Source:JND
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Sabarimala Gold Row: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe the alleged irregularities related to the reduced weight of gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at Sabarimala, ordered the Kerala High Court on Monday.

The order was delivered by a bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar after an interim report on preliminary investigation was submitted by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Vigilance team.

The court had earlier asked the TDB Vigilance team to investigate the reduced weight after they were sent to a Chennai-based firm for electroplating, which was sponsored by businessman Unnikrishnan Potty in 2019.

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Superintendent of Police S Sasidharan will lead the SIT probe under the supervision of the Crime Branch head, Additional Director General of Police H Venketesh. Some Cyber Police officials have also been included in the team.

TDB Vigilance had questioned Potty for two days as part of probe. A report was then filed in the court. 

What Is The Sabarimala Gold Row

Historical records show that the 1998 gold cladding, completed in 1999, was carried out under the leadership of Chennai-based jeweller Nagarajan of JNR Jewellery with the expertise of 53 Tamil Nadu artisans. The process involved layering gold beaten into thin foils and bonding them onto copper plates with mercury.

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In 2019, during repairs, Devaswom records listed the removed panels as copper sheets. When the replated panels were returned, records showed a reduction of 4.41 kg. Unnikrishnan Potty testified that the sheets given to him were copper-based with residual gold, later replated at a Chennai firm, as per news agency ANI.

At the time, KS Baiju served as Thiruvabharanam Commissioner before retiring, succeeded by R G Radhakrishnan, under whose supervision the work was carried out. Then Devaswom Board President A Padmakumar. Unnikrishnan Potty, along with his associates from Bengaluru, sponsored the 2019 replating.

(With Agency Inputs)