In Thiruvananthapuram on 22 October 2024, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kerala unit, sent a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He demanded that central agencies launch a probe into a gold‑plating scam tied to the Sabarimala temple, one of India’s biggest pilgrimage destinations.
Chandrasekhar’s request came a few hours after he led a high‑level BJP delegation to the Kerala Raj Bhavan, where they briefed President Droupadi Murmu on the same allegations. The state’s High Court has already assigned a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the case, underscoring how serious the matter is.
The core of the scandal involves gold plates that were supposed to be used for the temple’s hassing. In 2019, the “sponsor,” Unnikrishnan Potti, received the plates, but investigators now suspect the gold was misappropriated. Records show odd errors—gold sheets were described as copper and their weights were never verified. The temple’s registry also lacks proper paperwork.
Experts think the gold returned by the TDB (Travancore Devaswom Board) may not be the same as what was originally taken. In 2024 the plating had begun to tarnish even though it carried a 40‑year warranty, prompting the Board to re‑assign the work to the same craftsman. The court thinks this move was a cover‑up.
The High Court also questioned why the Devaswom Commissioner reversed his earlier endorsement of traditional gold‑plating methods. In response, the court ordered the SIT to seize the TDB minutes book and investigate officials at every level involved in the supposed mishandling.
With the BJP’s involvement and the High Court’s actions, the Sabarimala gold scam continues to grow. The outcome of the investigation may reshape how this revered pilgrimage site manages its finances and could spark deeper reforms in how temple assets are monitored in India.
Source: ianslive
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