Devaswom Board to submit Sabarimala gold plating probe report on Tuesday, says Kerala Minister

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 6 (ANI): The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Vigilance, which is probing the missing gold plating from Sabarimala temple will submit its preliminary report to the High Court on Tuesday (October 8), Kerala Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan said on Monday.

Today, the opposition staged a big, futile effort to create a controversy. Based on the High Court directive, the Devaswom Vigilance is conducting an investigation. The preliminary report will be submitted to the court tomorrow (October 6), the minister said in a press conference here.

Reiterating the government commitment to find the truth in the missing gold plating controversy, the state minister said that all orders of the court are being followed.

The government has already demanded a comprehensive inquiry. Our stance is clear all matters must come out. Once the preliminary report is submitted, the court will decide further. Only with the court permission can the Travancore Devaswom Board make decisions regarding gold and silver matters. That is exactly what is being followed, the minister mentioned.

The High Court always monitors the Travancore Devaswom Board, so the government cannot issue any orders beyond that, he added.

Notably, the Kerala high Court has ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged theft of gold covering on copper plates which were removed from Sabarimala Dwarapalaka.

The government is ready to proceed with any investigation as directed by the court. The issue being raised relates to 2019. The gold sheets were given to Unnikrishnan Potty for renovation. Just three days before the Global Ayyappa Convention, he raised an argument through a channel claiming the peedam was missing, the Devaswom minister said.

During the Vigilance investigation, this was traced to Unnikrishnan Potty sister house. We must view this with realism. The opposition is attempting a futile exercise to tarnish the grandeur of the Global Ayyappa Convention. They are misinterpreting facts, the minister added.

The minister said that government has no connection to these issues, as they do not interfere in day to day functioning of the temple. He further claimed that Unnikrishnan Potty is also suspected of being involved in a conspiracy.

Whoever is at fault must be proven. The government has no connection to these issues and cannot interfere in the day to day affairs of Sabarimala. During pilgrimage season, the government role is only to coordinate and provide assistance. The government does not accept any money from the Devaswom Board; the Devaswom Department handles these matters directly, he said.

Earlier on October 5, TDB Vigilance recorded the statement of Unnikrishnan Potty, a former helper and the sponsor of gold-plating works at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, for the second consecutive day.

Unnikrishnan Potty was questioned for nearly three hours at the TDB Vigilance headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. After the session, he left the premises without responding clearly to the media questions. When pressed, Potty remarked, Dont I have freedom as an individual? Everything will be proven before the High Court. Dont I have the right to move freely? The truth will prevail.

Earlier today, Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan alleged that more than 5 kilograms of gold donated by the UB Group and Vijay Mallya to the Sabarimala temple was misappropriated and demanded a CBI probe under the supervision of the Kerala High Court. (ANI)

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