Thiruvananthapuram, November 11 — The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Sabarimala gold-plating misappropriation case has arrested and remanded N. Vasu, former President of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and a former Devaswom Commissioner, in connection with the high-profile temple gold scandal.
Details of the Arrest
- Custody and Remand: Vasu was taken into custody on Tuesday after a prolonged interrogation by the SIT. He was later produced before the Ranni Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Pathanamthitta district, which remanded him to judicial custody.
- Third Accused: The former Devaswom chief has been listed as the third accused in the case, following the arrests of contractor Unnikrishnan Potti (the prime accused) and several former TDB officials.
- Alleged Role: Investigators allege that during his tenure as Devaswom Commissioner in 2019, Vasu instructed officials to record gold-plated copper sheets used in the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frame, known as Kattilappali, merely as “copper sheets” in the official TDB records.
- Financial Irregularity: This deliberate misclassification allegedly enabled the misappropriation of a significant quantity of gold intended for the temple’s renovation and ornamentation project.
Broader Investigation
- The Kerala High Court-monitored probe has been investigating alleged corruption and financial malpractice in the gold-plating contract awarded for Sabarimala temple works between 2018 and 2020.
- The SIT has traced missing gold worth several kilograms, suspected to have been diverted through inflated billing, falsified documentation, and unauthorized exchanges between contractors and officials.
- Evidence gathered includes discrepancies in audit reports and material purchase logs, pointing to systematic manipulation within the TDB hierarchy.
Political and Public Reaction
- Vasu’s arrest has created ripples in Kerala’s political and religious circles, given his long-standing ties with the ruling establishment and his past role as a top TDB functionary.
- Opposition parties have demanded an independent probe supervised by a retired High Court judge, alleging attempts at a cover-up.
- The Travancore Devaswom Board has stated it is cooperating fully with the investigation and reaffirmed that “no wrongdoing will be tolerated within the institution.”
