Kochi, Jul 20 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the SIT probing the alleged pilferage of gold from the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple to complete the investigation and file its final report at the earliest.
A Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar issued the direction after considering the status report filed by the Special Investigation Team on two cases related to the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) plates and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframe during replating work carried out in 2019.
According to the SIT, specialised scientific examinations, such as X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Optical Emission Spectroscopy, were conducted at the CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, the only institution in the country equipped to carry out such advanced metallurgical analysis.
The SIT said the tests were essential to determine how the accused allegedly stripped the gold cladding from the copper plates, quantify the gold allegedly pilfered, and ascertain the originality, composition and metallurgical characteristics of the copper plates.
The SIT report stated that the stripping salt seized from Smart Creations, the firm that carried out the replating work, was sent to the laboratory to determine whether it was capable of removing the gold cladding in the manner alleged by the prosecution.
Referring to the SIT report, the High Court observed that the scientific analysis had provided fresh insights into the alleged modus operandi adopted by the accused.
“The final opinion rendered by the National Metallurgical Laboratory provides a comprehensive scientific explanation of the entire process allegedly adopted by the accused. It elucidates how the gold was stripped from the copper plates and identifies the composition and metallurgical characteristics of the copper plates,” the court observed.
The Bench noted that the scientific examination had enabled the SIT to determine the quantity and quality of the gold originally used for cladding the plates, as well as the amount of gold utilised for nano-gold plating by Smart Creations, thereby providing a scientific basis for understanding the alleged modus operandi.
The SIT informed the court that its officers visited the National Metallurgical Laboratory in Jamshedpur from July 9 to 11, interacted with the scientists who conducted the examinations and recorded their statements.
The investigation into the alleged pilferage of gold from the Sreekovil doorframe has been substantially completed, and the SIT said it would be in a position to file the final report within 30 days, after which it would seek prosecution sanction from the competent authority.
The SIT informed the court that allegations of gold pilferage during the 2025 replating of the Dwarapalaka idols had been clubbed with the earlier case.
The court noted that the investigating agency had reported that the findings of the National Metallurgical Laboratory had also provided fresh insights into the alleged transactions of 2025.
It recorded that 54 witnesses had been examined in connection with the 2025 transactions.
The SIT submitted that the final report in the Dwarapalaka case could also be filed expeditiously, though it sought some additional time to complete certain confidential aspects of the investigation.
After examining the status reports, the High Court observed that the analysis carried out by the National Metallurgical Laboratory constituted a vital component of the investigation.
“The willingness of the institution to undertake this challenging assignment and the quality of the scientific analysis provided have substantially aided the progress of the investigation. No other laboratory in the country possesses the specialised infrastructure, equipment and technical expertise necessary to carry out the sophisticated metallurgical examinations involved in the present case,” the court observed.
The Bench observed that the case did not rest merely on ocular or circumstantial evidence and that the prosecution was relying substantially on scientific and forensic evidence.
“Now that the final scientific report has been received, we direct the investigating agency to complete the investigation in the Dwarapalaka case and file the final report before the jurisdictional court at the earliest,” the court said.
The case has been posted to September 3. PTI TBA SSK
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