Pathanamthitta: Amid the ongoing Crime Branch probe, a total of 14 gold-clad plates were reinstalled on the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. A team of sculptors led by Mannar Ananthan Achari and his son Anu Anandan completed the procedure when the temple reopened for the monthly puja on Friday.

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P Prasanth and the thantri were present at the temple during the reinstallation process. 

The plates, which had been sent for electroplating to Chennai, were brought back to the shrine on September 21 following a High Court order.

The TDB had come under fire after the special commissioner reported to the Devaswom Bench of the High Court that the plates were removed without his permission. Further investigation by the court later revealed discrepancies in the weight of the items, leading to the probe into the alleged gold theft in Sabarimala.

With sponsorship from devotee Unnikrishnan Potty, the TDB had sent the gold plates of Dwarapalaka idols to Smart Creations for electroplating. The total weight of the gold-clad copper coverings was 42.8 kg before being handed over for the process in August 2019. After electroplating, the weight dropped to 38.258 kg. While ordering a probe, the Kerala High Court criticised the TDB for failing to report the loss of nearly 4.5 kg of gold.

After examining registers produced by the TDB, the High Court found that the copper plates covering the Dwarapalakas had first been gold-plated and installed as early as 1999. Records from 2019 showed that Potty sought and obtained permission, at his own expense, to undertake fresh gold plating of the idols.

The records noted that 12 copper plates weighing 25.4 kg were handed over to him on July 19, 2019, and two peedams weighing 17.4 kg on July 20, 2019 — making a total of 42.8 kg. Potty later took them to Smart Creations in Chennai on August 29, 2019, unaccompanied by Devaswom officials. At that stage, the weight stood at 38.258 kg, showing an unexplained loss of 4.541 kg. After re-plating, the weight increased slightly to 38.653 kg — still reflecting a shortfall of 4.147 kg from the original 42.8 kg.