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‘Analysis suggests gold tampering’
The Morning Standard
|January 20, 2026
Citing VSSC reports, Kerala HC says original plates didn’t have nickel, acrylic polymer layers
THE Kerala High Court on Monday observed that the chemical analysis of the samples collected from Sabarimala prima facie reinforced its doubts that the original gold-clad dwarapalakas and door frames from the temple were replaced.
The court, citing the analysis reports from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), noted that the original gold-clad plates didn’t have nickel and acrylic polymer layers, whereas the layers were present in the subsequently-plated copper plates. This, along with the absence of mercury and comparative thickness of the gold and nickel layers in the latter, clearly indicated a systematic and methodical process behind the execution of the alleged offence (of gold theft), the court said.
This story is from the January 20, 2026 edition of The Morning Standard.
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