The BJP’s state unit has asked the central agency to probe embezzlement and rights violations at temples in Kerala, including the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, state BJP president, in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asked the central agency to probe the transactions of devaswom boards and temples under their jurisdiction in the state over the past 30 years, in light of the recent revelations of gold theft from the Sabarimala temple.
He also asked the Home Secretary to direct a thorough audit of all devaswom boards by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The party-state unit believed that recent reports of thefts from temples may be just the tip of the iceberg. There were reasons to believe that this had been going on for decades and represented the corrosion and capture of institutions like the devaswom boards by criminal elements. A thorough investigation and audit was therefore necessary, the paper said.
Although the Kerala High Court had already registered a case and ordered the formation of a special investigation team to probe the irregularities, including the unauthorized removal and restoration of gold-plated artefacts without proper supervision at Sabarimala, as the Kerala police came under the direct control of the home minister, who is also the chief minister, it said a central agency inquiry was necessary to revive trust between believers, he said.
Published – 22 Oct 2025 20:58 IST
