Overview

• An HC‑mandated Special Investigation Team will be headed by ADGP H. Venkatesh with IPS officer S. Sasidharan leading the inquiry, operating under strict confidentiality and an expedited timeline.
• The bench recorded an unexplained reduction of about 4.5 kg when the coverings were returned after 2019 work, while court‑filed documents show 1.564 kg of gold had clad the two Dwarapalakas since 1999.
• Judges flagged a distinct possibility that the original gold‑clad coverings were sold and proceeds misappropriated, bringing potential offences of theft, criminal misappropriation and breach of trust into focus.
• Court records cite a December 9, 2019 email from sponsor Unnikrishnan Potty seeking to use a ‘balance of gold’ for a girl’s marriage, with subsequent TDB correspondence noted; former TDB president N. Vasu denied wrongdoing.
• The political fallout intensified as the Kerala Assembly was disrupted for a second day, with the UDF demanding Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan’s resignation while the government said it welcomes the court‑supervised probe.