The Travancore Devaswom Board on Tuesday suspended B Murari Babu, who was the Administrative Officer of the Devaswom Board in 2019, in connection with the gold-plating controversy involving the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Devaswom Board.

Babu, who is currently serving as the Deputy Commissioner of the Harippad Devaswom, told the media that he would abide by the Board’s decision and would provide his statement when asked.

Action was taken against him after it was found that, during his tenure as the Administrative Officer in 2019, he had wrongly recorded the gold-plated Dwarapalaka sculptures on either side of the Sanctum Sanctorum as copper panels, amounting to a serious lapse.

Babu said the panels were sent for replating as the gold surface had faded. "I only submitted a preliminary report based on a letter from the temple tantri. My report stated that since the gold-plated surface had worn off and exposed the copper underneath, permission was granted for replating. I have written what I saw, there was copper," he said.