On Monday, the Kerala High Court expressed strong displeasure over the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) permitting the removal of gold cladding from the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala without informing the Court or the Special Commissioner, calling the move a serious lapse in accountability.
The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar was dealing with suo motu proceedings based on a report of the Sabarimala Special Commissioner. The Court noted that the Dwarapalakas, guardian idols flanking the sanctum (Sreekovil), were originally gold-cladded in 1999, yet records from 2019 puzzlingly described them only as “copper plates” when handed over to a private individual, Unnikrishnan Potty, for fresh plating.
The Court observed that communications suggested a second set of gold-clad plates might exist in the strong room, though a preliminary search yielded nothing. “What persuaded the TDB to permit removal of the 1999 cladding and subject the idols to gold plating, without court sanction and by taking them out of the State, is an issue requiring a probe,” the Court remarked.
The Bench directed Smart Creations, the Chennai-based firm carrying out the plating, to complete the ongoing work and promptly return the idols to Sabarimala. It further instructed the Chief Vigilance & Security Officer (Superintendent of Police) to seize all relevant records, including details of the gold used in 1999, 2019, and in the current process, the names of sponsors and artisans involved, the manner of recovery and reuse of the gold, as well as the whereabouts of the alleged second set of gold-clad Dwarapalakas and the Peedam
The Court stated that the removal of the gold plating without precise inventory and court knowledge was “highly deprecable.” The matter will be taken up again on September 17.
Case Title: Suo Motu Vs. State Of Kerala And Ors.
Case No: SSCR No. 23 Of 2025
Coram: Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V, Justice K.V. Jayakumar
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