A detailed report submitted to the Kerala High Court by the Vigilance department has brought to light serious procedural irregularities, unauthorized actions, and suspicious financial dealings connected to the gold-plating of the Dwarapalaka idols and copper panels at the Sabarimala Sreekovil temple.
The report identifies Unnikrishnan Potti, who reportedly has no stable income or business background, as an intermediary in numerous renovation and offering-related activities at Sabarimala. It suggests that many of these works, officially attributed to Potti, were actually funded by private individuals, including businessmen from Bellary and Bengaluru.
Specifically, the gold plating of the Sreekovil’s main door was reportedly sponsored by Govardhan, a businessman from Bellary, while the copper roof sheets were funded by Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Aji Kumar.
According to the report, Potti functioned merely as a facilitator, leveraging his connections with the Devaswom administration to exert undue influence.
An examination of Potti’s income tax records indicated no consistent income that would justify the scale of his involvement in these sponsorships and renovations. Vigilance investigators suspect Potti may have profited illegally through commissions and potentially misused temple gold during these projects.
The report further details Potti’s involvement in various temple events and constructions, including sponsoring a Mani Mandapam, with financial contributions mentioned for annadanam (free feeding) and Makaravilakku celebrations, as well as the construction of a lift.
However, the vigilance report emphasizes that these sponsorships may have served as a cover for irregular transactions. Inconsistencies in records and the unexplained movement of gold-plated panels to Chennai were noted, particularly concerning the 2019 re-plating project where a discrepancy of 4.541 kilograms of gold was found.
The report also points to administrative failures, naming former Administrative Officer Murari Babu, Executive Officer D Sudheesh Kumar, Administrative Officer, and Secretary S Jayashree as being responsible for procedural breaches and inadequate supervision. Disciplinary action has been recommended against them.
Investigators found falsified or missing signatures on official documents from July 2019, and some panels were reportedly stored in Bengaluru and Hyderabad before their return to Sabarimala, raising concerns about the chain of custody.
The report highlights that outsourcing gold-plating work to external facilities violated Travancore Devaswom Manual regulations, which mandate such work to be conducted on temple premises under supervision.
The vigilance findings recommend a forensic audit of all gold-related temple works, the recovery of losses from responsible parties, and stricter supervisory measures.
The report also suggests that the Travancore Devaswom Board forward its findings to law enforcement agencies for further investigation.
The Kerala High Court is scheduled to review the vigilance report soon.