Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President P S Prasanth on Tuesday said that the board has suspended another official in connection with the Sabarimala gold scam.

Speaking to the media after a TDB meeting, Prasanth confirmed that K Sunil Kumar, Assistant Engineer, Works Wing, Sabarimala section I, has been suspended from service. The Devaswom vigilance probe revealed that he had signed off on the mahazar describing gold-plated panels as copper plates while handing it over to Unnikrishnan Potty in 2019. The mahazar enlisted Sunil Kumar as one of the witnesses. 

He added that officers involved in the scam who have already retired will also face appropriate action as per the rules. TDB had earlier suspended B Murari Babu in connection with the incident. 

TDB said that Unnikrishnan Potty, who sponsored the re-plating work of the gold-cladded panels of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala, was part of a deliberate conspiracy when he claimed, just days before the Global Ayyappa Sangamam, that the Dwarapalaka pedestals were missing. Subsequent investigations by the Devaswom Vigilance found the missing pedestals at the house of Potty’s sister.

The vigilance team’s findings regarding the missing gold plating on the Dwarapalaka idols and the sanctum sanctorum railings are serious, the board stated. These revelations, it said, call for strict legal action without compromise and the recovery of the lost gold. The TDB said it welcomes all ongoing investigations related to the issue.

The board further alleged that certain groups are deliberately attempting to tarnish its image, cast doubts over its functioning, and destabilise the 1,252 temples under its administration. Such efforts, it said, are deeply condemnable. "Those found guilty will certainly be punished, and exemplary action will be taken against them," the board said in a statement.

"The ongoing campaign to discredit the Travancore Devaswom Board and the temples under its management will also harm the thousands of people who depend on these temples for their livelihood," the statement added.