Sabarimala ‘gold theft’: SIT submits report to Kerala High Court

File photo of Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple on Monday submitted a “progress report” to the Kerala High Court in its probe into the matter.

The report submitted by S. Sasidharan, investigating officer of the SIT, pertains to the investigation of the gilded/gilded copper plates of the temple, which were sent to the National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur, in March.

He mentioned that the report is highly comprehensive and when read together with the report submitted by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), it gives a clear picture of the methodology adopted (for the alleged theft of gold).

Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar noted that they carefully went through the extensive report regarding the NML findings and found that it would go a long way in identifying the manner in which the gold heist was carried out at Sabarimala Sannidhanam.

The SIT report said that in 2019, Smart Creations, Chennai, stripped the artefacts of gold plating using a special salt known as “stripping salt” sourced from Mumbai. During the investigation, a sample of salt was collected and sent to NML, Jamshedpur for scientific analysis, the results of which are awaited. The analysis of the special salt is crucial to determine the method adopted by Smart Creations to remove gold from the artefacts, the SIT report said.

However, the Prabhamandalam slabs and the top plate of the door frame could not be dismantled and examined due to difficulties encountered by the skilled workers employed in the dismantling, the report said. They are also trying to dismantle the Prabhamandalam slabs and the upper door frame slab and collect samples from them with the help of experts.

Based on this, the High Court granted permission to the SIT to dismantle these items and hand them over to the laboratory for analysis.

In addition, Mr. Sasidharan stated before the Supreme Court that the investigation has reached its final stage regarding the incidents leading to the removal and disposal of the Dwarapalakas in 2025 and requested that the matter be made public on 18 June 2026 so that the SIT can inform the court about further developments and the guilt and role of those involved.

Published – 08 Jun 2026 20:39 IST