Sabarimala, Oct 22 (IANS) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has seized the Travancore Devasom Board’s minutes book from 2019, which contained the decision to hand over the gold sheets and plating materials to now-arrested Unnikrishnan Potti.

The seizure has become a key turning point in the ongoing probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold used for plating the Sabarimala temple’s sacred structures.

In a report submitted to the Kerala High Court, the SIT said that members and employees of the Devasom Board had acted on behalf of certain individuals, and that manipulation was evident from the official records themselves.

Crucial documents recovered during the verification process have shed light on the irregularities.

The SIT also pointed out that the Board had been reluctant to hand over records, producing them only after repeated requests.

With the court observing that even the present Board appeared to have attempted to conceal the theft, both the Devasom Board and the State government have come under scrutiny.

The investigation is continuing to identify those responsible for the missing gold.

The crisis deepened after the High Court noted that the cover-up of the 2019 gold loss appeared deliberate, and that this year’s gold-plating work had again been entrusted to the same sponsor, Unnikrishnan Potti.

The court directed that the inquiry should not be confined to the misappropriation involving the Dwarapalaka panels and side panels alone, but should extend to uncover the larger conspiracy behind the incident.

Following the court’s observations, the trajectory of the Sabarimala gold theft investigation has shifted sharply, bringing the Devasom Board and the government under intense pressure to ensure a transparent and accountable probe.

In a late-night development, a team of top Kerala BJP leaders called on visiting President Droupadi Murmu at the Raj Bhavan, where she is staying.

On Wednesday, President Droupadi Murmu will pray at the famed Sabarimala temple, becoming the second President of India to do so. V.V. Giri was the first president to visit Lord Ayyappa’s sacred abode.

–IANS

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