Board chiefs face heat in gold probe

PROBE SCOPE | Court has specifically instructed against restricting investigation to lower level staff

- HD Bureau

A directive issued by the bench of the High Court of Kerala has widened the scope of the investigation into the alleged misappropriation of gold-clad temple artefacts at Sabarimala Temple, targeting top officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board, who held office between 2019 and 2025.

The court has ordered that if evidence points to their involvement, the specially constituted investigation team should proceed with arrests of the board presidents for that period.

The theft of gold plating from the temple's guardian deity idols and door-frames is alleged to have occurred in 2019, with subsequent dealings in 2025 that the court described as attempts to hide the earlier loss.

The bench found that the pattern of events "strongly suggests a wider and well-orchestrated scheme" rather than isolated lapses.