Kerala High Court Orders Immediate Return of Sabarimala Gold Plates from Chennai
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has issued an order for the immediate return of the gold plates from the dwarapalaka sculptures located on both sides of the Sabarimala Sreekovil. The court also directed the Devaswom Commissioner, Executive Officer, and Thiruvabharanam Commissioner to provide an explanation as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against them for dismantling and transporting the gold plates to Chennai for repairs without informing the Sabarimala Special Commissioner and the High Court.
The Devaswom bench, comprising Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice K V Jayakumar, further instructed that all relevant files pertaining to the decision to transport the gold plates for repairs without proper authorization must be produced by Friday. The court’s suo motu intervention stemmed from a report filed by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, which highlighted that the gold plates were taken for repairs without the necessary permissions. The order emphasized that the directive requiring High Court approval for such activities was not adhered to. Furthermore, the court has ordered Smart Creations agency in Chennai and the sponsor, Unnikrishnan Potty, to immediately cease all ongoing repair work.
The Devaswom Board, in its defense, contended that the action was initiated based on a letter from the Tantri in 2023, which requested repairs for the sculptures. These gold plates are gilded over copper plating on the sculptures that flank the Sreekovil and were originally installed in 2019 by the same sponsor and agency. The Board asserted that the transportation of the plates was carried out in compliance with established laws and safety standards, and a mahazar (inventory) was prepared. They also claimed to have informed the Special Commissioner by phone on the 8th, followed by a formal letter.
However, the High Court expressed its skepticism regarding the purpose of returning the plates to the manufacturer for repairs after only six years, especially since they were initially provided with a 40-year warranty in 2019. The court observed that if genuine repairs were necessary, then the associated door panels and lintels of the Sreekovil should also be in need of maintenance. The court deemed the act of taking only the dwarapalaka sculpture plates as both unnecessary and irregular. The bench also criticized the Devaswom Commissioner and Thiruvabharanam Commissioner for deliberately violating previous court orders in the “Mudramala” case.
Meanwhile, Devaswom Board President P. S. Prashanth announced that a petition would be filed before the Devaswom Bench on Thursday. This petition will outline the circumstances that make it impossible to immediately return the gold plates as per the court’s order.