Vigilance to Question Sabarimala Gold‑Plating Sponsor as Probe Widens
A court‑ordered inventory follows a recorded 4.54 kg drop in the plates’ weight since 2019.
Overview
- Officials confirmed Unnikrishnan Potti will be interrogated on Saturday by a team led by Devaswom Vigilance SP Sunil Kumar.
- Vigilance alleges Potti raised large sums from devotees under the pretext of gold‑plating and annadanam, with funds solicited in Karnataka and other states.
- Investigators suspect the gold‑clad copper plates were taken to Bengaluru in 2019, with a further attempt to remove them in 2023 now under scrutiny.
- The Kerala High Court noted the plaques weighed 42.8 kg in 2019 versus 38.258 kg in 2025 and directed confidential checks of temple inventories.
- TDB president P. S. Prashanth acknowledged lapses in presenting records, cited detailed gold accounts including 467 kg monetised with the RBI, as opposition leaders demanded a CBI probe and Potti denied wrongdoing.