Kerala court hands over scientific report on Lord Ayyappa temple gold cladding to SIT

Kollam(Kerala): A report on the scientific analysis of the gold on the copper claddings covering various artefacts and door frames of the Lord Ayyappa temple, as ordered by the Kerala High Court, has been handed over to the SIT by a vigilance court here, sources said on Saturday.

The report prepared by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) was submitted in court in a sealed cover, and the same was handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold loss cases on Friday, the sources said.

The SIT will inform the Kerala High Court about the report on Monday, and thereafter, further steps will be taken based on it, they said.

The High Court had permitted the SIT's request for a scientific analysis of the gold on the copper cladding to compare the nature of the gold on the plates before and after they were taken for restoration by the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, in 2019.

The SIT is probing the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames at the Lord Ayyappa temple.

It has so far arrested 12 people, including the main accused Unnikrishnan Potty and two former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) presidents in the two cases.