Sabarimala gold-plating row: Rules breached, Devaswom Vigilance kept in the dark

Thiruvananthapuram: More evidence has emerged suggesting a major conspiracy behind the gold-plating scam at the renowned Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala.

It has now come to light that the entire procedure for removing the plates covering the Dwarapalaka idols and reinstalling them in 2019 was carried out without the involvement of the Devaswom Vigilance wing.

In fact, no Devaswom Vigilance official was included in the proceedings undertaken by the Devaswom Board Secretary to hand over the panels to the controversial figure Unnikrishnan Potty on July 20, 2019, nor in the preparation of the 'mahazar' (inspection report) after reinstalling the gold-plated panels on September 11. "The Vigilance was not even informed about this matter," said P Bijoy, who was the Devaswom Vigilance SP (Superintendent of Police) at that time.

A copy of the 'mahazar' obtained by Malayala Manorama revealed that the Devaswom Commissioner and Devaswom Smith—two key officials whose presence is mandatory at the ritual for fixing the panels—did not take part in the procedure.

The exclusion occurred despite Devaswom rules explicitly stating that Vigilance officials must be present during events involving all valuable items at Sabarimala, including the counting of cash and handling of gold. The Vigilance wing was also supposed to play a significant role in providing instructions to the goldsmith.

Sabarimala Temple authorities failed to weigh panels on Dwarapalaka idols after gold-plating
The 'mahazar' shows that the authorities failed to check the weight of the panels when they were fixed on the idols in 2019 after being plated with gold. According to the 'mahazar', the panels were made of copper and plated with gold. Old records also mention that there were 14 panels. However, the preparation of the 'mahazar' did not follow Devaswom rules.

The panels, which had been taken away for gold-plating, were reinstalled on the Dwarapalaka idols on September 11, 2019, and the 'mahazar' was prepared the same day. The report states that on August 29, 2019, Unnikrishnan Potty returned the copper panels enveloping the two Dwarapalaka idols and the copper plates covering the south-north wall of the sanctum sanctorum, after plating them with gold. Earlier, the panels were handed over to Potty based on 'mahazars' prepared on July 19, 2019, and July 20, 2019.

Ten officials and religious authorities signed the 'mahazar' prepared after the gold-plated panels were reinstalled on the Dwarapalaka idols. These included the 'thantri', 'melsanthi', administrative officer, overseer, watcher, and duty guard, among others. Incidentally, Unnikrishnan Potty was also a signatory on the 'mahazar'.