In Thiruvananthapuram, the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, said that the gold from the famous Sabarimala temple’s Dwarapalaka plates was sold for crores of rupees after getting green light from the Devaswom Board and the state government.
The remarks came just after the Assembly session ended when opposition lawmakers staged a protest. Satheesan confirmed that a High Court ruling had backed the opposition’s claim of a “grave act of theft and sale” at Sabarimala.
“The court said it was serious fraud. The original gold‑plated guardian deity plates were taken out of the temple, sold at a high price, and replaced by a copper mould that was shipped to Chennai,” Satheesan told reporters. “When the mould was brought back, the Devaswom Board pretended to ignore the weight difference.”
He accused the board and the government of covering up the theft to keep senior officials out of trouble. “Knowing everything, they re‑appointed the same Unnikrishnan Potti in 2015 for the next round of gold work,” Satheesan added.
Because of what he sees as an illegal sale, the opposition is demanding that the Devaswom minister, V.N. Vasavan, resign and that the board be dismissed. Satheesan said the High Court’s criticism only validated the opposition’s concerns.
He pointed to an email from Potti to then‑board president N. Vasu, asking to use leftover temple gold for a woman’s wedding. “That was Ayyappan’s gold. Vasu, who has CPI(M) connections, cannot claim ignorance,” he said. He also asked the ruling party to disclose whose house the original idol now sits in.
Satheesan called the government hypocritical for citing judicial authority while he noted that three former ministers had once insulted the Chief Justice V.K. Bali, who had ordered a CBI probe in the Lavalin case. “They now preach respect for the courts,” he said.
The opposition will keep protesting inside and outside the House until accountability arrives. Satheesan declared, “The sanctity of Sabarimala has been violated, devotees deceived, and public trust broken. Those at the top must answer for the theft that has shamed the state.”
Source: ianslive
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