India, Kerala, Sabarimala temple: The controversy surrounding alleged misuse of gold at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, a revered pilgrimage site for millions of devotees, has escalated. The Kerala High Court has issued a striking directive following serious accusations against the Travancore Devaswom Board, the organization responsible for managing the temple. Authorities have instructed the state police to file a criminal case and probe the irregularities concerning the gold gloves of the temple gatekeeper idols.

The issue came to light due to inconsistencies in the gold coverings of the idols. In 2019, the board had assigned Bengaluru resident Unnikrishnan Potti the task of polishing the idols' gold gloves. He agreed to carry out the work at his own cost, and the gold-plated copper sheaths, weighing 42.8 kg, were sent to a workshop in Chennai under his supervision. However, when the container arrived in Chennai after 39 days, suspicions arose as the gloves now weighed only 38.25 kg—indicating a loss of nearly 4.5 kg during transit.

Reports suggest that during the 39-day period, the container allegedly made stops at a private temple in Kottayam, multiple temples in Andhra Pradesh, and the Ayyappa temple in Bengaluru. The controversy deepened with claims that the idol wreaths were also taken to a private ritual at the residence of veteran actor Jayaram. Meanwhile, donor Unnikrishnan Potti reportedly added 394 grams of his own gold during the polishing process, but the gloves’ final weight showed no increase.

Earlier, the High Court had directed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe following a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2020 regarding this matter. The SIT, after reviewing the discrepancies, recommended registering a new criminal case. In a related development, Unnikrishnan Potti had sent an email to the board in 2019 requesting permission to use the remaining temple gold for his daughter’s wedding.