'Serious discrepancies’: Kerala HC pulls up TDB over poor-record keeping at Sabarimala
The court observed that nearly 4 kg of gold had gone missing from the idols.
The court observed that nearly 4 kg of gold had gone missing from the idols.
The court observed that nearly 4 kg of gold had gone missing from the idols.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday pulled up the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) over serious lapses in maintaining records of temple valuables at Sabarimala. A division bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar, hearing a suo motu case, noted discrepancies in the handling of gold-covered copper plates on the Dwarapalaka idols. The plates had been removed without informing the Special Commissioner and sent to a Chennai-based firm, Smart Creations, for repair.
The court observed that nearly 4 kg of gold had gone missing from the idols, terming the lapses in record-keeping as “serious discrepancies.” It said, unlike ornaments and coins donated by devotees, which are properly logged in the Thiruvabharanam register, no details exist for other fixtures such as kodimaram, dwarapalaka idols, or peedams.
“In so far as the kodimarams as well as dwarpalakas, peedams etc, there is no mention whatsoever in the Thiruvabharanam register as to when they were installed, the quantity of gold involved. This we find is a serious discrepancy,” the bench orally remarked.
The judges also pointed out that the plates were “clandestinely” handed over to a devotee, Unnikrishnan Potty, who claimed to act as a sponsor. Later, gold-plated peedams were recovered from his sister’s residence. However, there were no mahazar reports or register entries confirming their return to Sabarimala.
The Chief Vigilance and Security Officer informed the court that no additional set of dwarapalaka idols was found in the strong room, and that registers from the 1999 gold cladding of the sanctum roof, believed to have used over 30 kg of gold, were missing.
Directing a comprehensive inventory and valuation of temple valuables, the bench said: “It is high time a proper and authentic record is prepared.” The vigilance officer has also been asked to probe lapses by TDB officials. The matter will be taken up again at the end of October.
(With LiveLaw inputs)