A Special Investigation Team (SIT), appointed by the High Court, has significantly expanded its inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of precious gold-plated copper panels from the revered Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. What began as a local investigation in Kerala is now rapidly reaching into other states, signalling a wide-ranging probe.
Investigators have dispatched a plainclothes squad to Chennai, where they are scheduled to interview the factory management that was commissioned by Unnikrishnan Potti, the primary accused in the case, to restore the decades-old gilded temple panels. Officials have also indicated that the SIT plans to thoroughly examine Mr. Potti’s background and activities in major cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad as part of their extensive investigation.
This entire controversy was sparked in September when Mr. Potti publicly claimed that two gold-copper coverings, which he had allegedly ‘donated’ to the temple in 2019, were missing. This startling revelation created a considerable stir just before the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB)-sponsored Global Ayyappa Sangamam, effectively blindsiding the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government and providing opposition parties with potent ammunition to criticize the organizers.
Before becoming a central figure in this scandal, Mr. Potti had worked at the Sabarimala temple as an assistant to a TDB-appointed priest in the early 2010s. He later secured employment at the Ayyappa temple located in Jalahalli, Bengaluru.
The situation took a dramatic turn when the Vigilance department successfully recovered the supposedly missing panels from the residence of Mr. Potti’s sister in Thiruvananthapuram just days after his initial disclosure. This crucial recovery laid the groundwork for the intensive, High Court-monitored SIT probe that is currently underway.
Questionable Motives and Insider Influence
In a recent report submitted to the High Court, the TDB’s internal Vigilance unit raised several cautionary red flags regarding Mr. Potti’s motivations for accepting the restoration contract. They also highlighted his ‘questionable insider role’ within the temple’s affairs. The unit alleged that Mr. Potti had strategically built credibility within the temple’s traditional circles by channeling substantial contributions from wealthy Ayyappa devotees. These funds were used for significant temple offerings, including underwriting expensive pujas and grand feasts, and even ‘facilitating’ VIP darshans for his contacts.
The SIT is reportedly preparing to interrogate an individual named Kalpesh, who is believed to have received the gold-inlaid overlays directly from the temple, under Mr. Potti’s instruction, for restoration purposes.
Broad Ambit of the Investigation
The Special Investigation Team’s comprehensive probe now encompasses several critical aspects. These include addressing discrepancies in the weight of the panels returned to the temple after restoration, investigating the alarming possibility of duplication of the artefacts while they were in Mr. Potti’s ‘protracted’ custody, and examining the TDB’s potentially ‘misleading’ classification of the gilded coverings as pure copper. Furthermore, the investigation is looking into allegations of temple artefacts being worshipped in the private homes of wealthy devotees residing in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
Operating under strict High Court orders that mandate confidentiality, the SIT’s rapidly unfolding inquiry has already brought at least nine TDB officials under scrutiny. This group includes two former presidents and several Devaswom Commissioners, all of whom were political appointees of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. The SIT has charged these individuals with serious offenses such as cheating, criminal breach of trust, trickery, conspiracy, and theft.