Close on the heels of the Sabarimala gold theft case, another case has come up again in Kerala, in the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. As per reports, the 2019-2020 audit report, that has been released only now, various assets including gold and ivory are recorded as ‘missing’.
The reports have indicated that these were handled without following the due protocol. The audit report also indicated a loss of Rs 79 lakh related to deposit in gold scheme run by the State Bank of India. Further, manchadi, seeds for the sack count given by devotees were also missing. The saffron flowers were also not included in the records. Further, 2000 kg of traditional cookware worth Rs 15 lakh were also not included in the calculations. 530 kg of ivory from Punnathur elephant fort was also missing.
The Guruvayur Devaswom is a statutory and independent body that manages and governs 12 temples in Kerala. The board has said that the shortcomings have been resolved and an affidavit has been submitted in the Kerala High Court.
Sabrimala gold theft case
This follows the Sabarimala controversy where a routine restoration of gold-plated panels in 2019 unfolded into a wide-ranging investigation implicating temple officials, private contractors and possibly a deep conspiracy.
In 2019, the temple’s gold-plated copper panels covering the “Dwarapalaka” (guardian deity) idols and other parts of the sanctum sanctorum were sent out for electro-plating work. Instead of being done within the temple premises (as required by rules), they were handed over to a private contractor, Unnikrishnan Potti, who in turn sent them to a firm in Chennai, Smart Creations. Investigators later found that the weight of gold returned was drastically lower than what was entrusted. Some reports suggest that approximately 4.5 kg or more of gold is missing.
The temple’s governing body, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), is accused of playing a role in the removal and transfer of these precious panels under suspicious conditions. The High Court has described the event as a “well-orchestrated scheme”. Officials allegedly mis-labelled the gold-clad plates as “copper plates” in official documents, thereby bypassing safeguards like weighing and inventory checks. The High Court has ordered that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) expand the probe, register criminal cases for theft and breach of trust, and file a detailed report within a limited timeframe.
