Overview

• Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar noted that the gold‑cladded copper plates weighed 42.8 kg when removed in 2019 but only 38.258 kg when produced before Chennai-based Smart Creations.
• The bench directed the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (SP) to seize and examine registers and mahazars from the 1999 cladding through the 2019 transfer, with the Travancore Devaswom Board ordered to cooperate fully.
• Handover documents referring to the items merely as “copper plates” drew court scrutiny, and the judges questioned why the 2019 re-plating proceeded without prior intimation to the Sabarimala Special Commissioner.
• Explanations from sponsor Unnikrishnan Potti and Smart Creations were found inadequate, and the court asked why weights were not verified when the plates were reinstalled at the temple.
• Court filings report the post-replating weight at about 38.65 kg, still below earlier records, and officials were told to verify whether pedestals or spare structures are secured in the strong room.