The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the state police to register a criminal case and initiate a probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold from the side frames or lintels of a shrine.
A division bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar issued the order after examining the findings of the vigilance report and the investigation carried out so far. The court observed that “insofar as the side frames or lintels are concerned, misappropriation of gold has been carried out”.
The vigilance report placed before the court revealed that a substantial quantity of gold — around 474.9 grams — was handed over to Unnikrishnan Potty, the sponsor who had volunteered to carry out the gold plating. However, the court noted that records do not indicate that this quantity of gold was ever entrusted with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) by him.
Taking note of these discrepancies, the bench directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) — already constituted under the court’s orders — to investigate the side frame/lintel issue along with all other aspects that may emerge during the course of their inquiry.
