The High Court, on Monday, granted permission to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold scam to do advanced scientific analysis to enable comparison between the original cladded layers and the present plated surfaces. The SIT reported that substantial oral evidence had been gathered, and preliminary scientific examination indicated that the original gold cladding had been removed and replaced through fresh surface plating of lesser thickness. 

The team, however, said in the report that an advanced scientific analysis is indispensable to establish, with precision and objectivity, the extent of material alteration, the nature of metallurgical manipulation, and the quantum of gold originally present and subsequently depleted.

The SIT has proposed to conduct X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) to determine surface elemental composition, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP MS) for ultra-trace impurity and elemental profiling, and Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) to analyse alloy composition and metallurgical uniformity.

Earlier, a scientific analysis was done at VSSC. According to the SIT, advanced analytical facilities required for further examinations are not available at the VSSC. The SIT is in talks with premier national research institutions and laboratories, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, and the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, to undertake these specialised tests.

The court has allowed the SIT to collect representative samples from the temple on February 12 under controlled conditions. The HC observed that advanced forensic and metallurgical examination is absolutely essential and that the prosecution cannot be permitted to proceed in the absence of an exact scientific foundation, thereby risking serious evidentiary lapses that may ultimately compromise the sustainability of the case.

According to the court, the SIT would be in a position to proceed further with the later phase transactions, particularly those relating to the period 2023–2024, upon receipt of scientific results. 

The SIT has so far collected statements of 262 witnesses. Call records of some of the accused from the year 2019 will be collected. Data from four hard disks collected from Smart Creations are being analysed at the Forensic Science Lab, Thiruvananthapuram. 

It was further stated that the handwriting specimens and signatures of the accused have been obtained and forwarded to the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge, Kollam, along with the

listed and admitted documents. Further steps for getting the comparison done by the Forensic Science Lab are in progress, as cited in the SIT report.