Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar moves Kerala High Court seeking CBI probe into Sabarimala gold theft

Former Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar moved the Kerala High Court on Monday seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple. [Rajeev Chandrasekhar & ors v State of Kerala & ors].A Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar after noting the objections raised by the registry regarding filing defects, decided to list the matter for hearing on December 9. The Bench directed Chandrasekhar and his co-petitioners, Dr. PS Mahendra Kumar and C Devidas, to rectify the errors by then.The same Bench is seized of a suo motu case initiated over the issue of missing gold at Sabarimala. The Bench had recently tasked a retired judge to conduct an internal inquiry and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to carry out a detailed probe into the allegations of misappropriation of gold..The petitioners in the present case have claimed to be devotees of Lord Ayyappa. According to their petition, they are concerned about the serious and systematic failure of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in managing the Sabarimala temple assets, particularly the gold cladded plates of the 'Dwarapalakas idols'.As per the plea, the gold coverings over the Dwarapalakas were donated by a devotee along with the gold coverings over the sides and roof of the 'Sreekovil' in 1999. The gold coverings were removed in 2019 and taken to Chennai for repair works. The mahazars prepared at the time of the removal described the plates as copper sheets and not gold-plated copper plates, the petition stated.Again in 2025, when the gold cladded plates were taken for repair works, the Special Commissioner alerted the Court that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) removed the gold plated copper plates and handed it over to a devotee named Unnikrishnan Potti, without prior intimation or approval from the Special Commissioner or the Court for repair and electroplating.According to the petitioners, the items were entrusted by Potti to Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm for repairs. However, out of the 42.8 kg of items handed over, only about 38 kg was received back by the firm, revealing a glaring discrepancy of approximately 4.54 kg.The petition pointed out that after the Bench reviewed the SIT reports as part of the suo motu case, it found prima facie evidence of major lapses by TDB officials and possible criminal offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.As per the plea, the TDB, its president, members and officers failed to uphold their statutory duty to protect temple assets under the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950.The SIT headed by Kerala Police might not be able to conduct a fully independent investigation because the issue allegedly involves officers and former Board members belonging to the current ruling party, the petitioners submitted.According to the petitioners, the probe requires coordination across States because missing gold might have even been transported outside Kerala."The persons who were members of the Travancore Devaswom Board and who are presently appointed had their affiliation to the ruling political party, which controls the affairs of the government. The investigation, presently being conducted cannot instill confidence in the minds of persons like the petitioners, who are the devotees of Lord Ayyappa, as the police forces are directly controlled by the State Government and possibility of the investigation leading to the political heads and to the government itself cannot be ruled out," the petition stated. The petitioners have, therefore urged the Court to transfer the entire investigation to the CBI. They have also sought orders for a 10-year audit of the TDB board by the Comptroller and Auditor General and for publishing the resultant audit reports. .Advocate Gokul Krishna appeared for the petitioners. .Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.