Sabarimala gold theft case: SIT to seek custody of PS Prasanth, Ajikumar
The Sabarimala gold misappropriation case SIT will seek custody of TDB president P S Prasanth and ex-member Ajikumar, who are accused of facilitating the alleged removal and replating of temple gold.
The Sabarimala gold misappropriation case SIT will seek custody of TDB president P S Prasanth and ex-member Ajikumar, who are accused of facilitating the alleged removal and replating of temple gold.
The Sabarimala gold misappropriation case SIT will seek custody of TDB president P S Prasanth and ex-member Ajikumar, who are accused of facilitating the alleged removal and replating of temple gold.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), appointed by the Kerala High Court to probe the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case, will file the custody application for former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P S Prasanth and former board member Ajikumar at the Kollam Vigilance Court on Monday.
The probe team is also investigating the alleged involvement of other former TDB officials in the case.
Prasanth and Ajikumar were arrested by the SIT on July 23 and were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by the Kollam Vigilance Court. Prasanth is the third former TDB president to be arrested in connection with the case, after N Vasu and A Padmakumar.
According to the investigation team, Prasanth played a key role in the decision to send the gold-plated panels of the Sabarimala temple to Chennai-based Smart Creations for repair in September 2025.
Meanwhile, the SIT alleges that Ajikumar misused his position as a TDB member to facilitate administrative approvals and process files related to sending the temple's Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols to Chennai. Investigators further claim that, instead of addressing the alleged irregularities, the board approved another round of gold replating in 2025 to conceal the suspected misappropriation.
The case pertains to the removal of gold-clad idols and other gold-plated components from the Sabarimala temple and their transfer to Smart Creations in Chennai in 2019, supposedly for repair and restoration.
According to the SIT, the original gold layers were allegedly removed and replaced with a thin electroplated coating, resulting in the suspected misappropriation of gold. The agency further alleges that after the plating deteriorated and the underlying copper surface became exposed, the items were again sent to Chennai for replating in 2025, allegedly to cover up the earlier irregularities.