The investigation into the Sabarimala gold loot case has intensified, with the Special Investigation Team interrogating former Tiruvitamcoor Devaswom Board president N. Vasu in Thiruvananthapuram. Sources indicate that Vasu, a retired Devaswom Commissioner and close associate of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, denied any involvement in the alleged misappropriation, stating that gold was taken for repairs without his knowledge. His questioning follows the arrest of former Executive Officer Sudheeshkumar, signalling that the inquiry may be moving towards senior figures linked to the temple administration.
Vasu previously told the media he had no personal links with first-accused Unnikrishnan Potti and asserted that gold plating materials were not removed during his tenure. He described Potti as one among many sponsors associated with Sabarimala and maintained that further scrutiny of sponsors was impractical.
Fresh revelations have now surfaced regarding a Devaswom Board order issued in 2024, which mentioned copper instead of gold in authorising Unnikrishnan Potti to undertake gold plating work. The document, signed by the Board secretary, stated that copper layers could be provided for maintenance, raising questions over procedural clarity and oversight in the shrine’s asset handling.
Vasu served as Board Commissioner during the 2018 Sabarimala agitation and later became Board president in 2019. His tenure as Commissioner was marked by strong police action against protesters opposing the entry of women of restricted age into the shrine.
Meanwhile, the BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has written to the Tiruvitamcoor Devaswom Board and the Kerala High Court demanding audit reports from 2017 onwards. Citing Section 32 of the Tiruvitamcoor-Kochi Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950, Chandrasekhar underscored the statutory obligation for annual audits of the Board’s accounts and submission of reports to the High Court in cases of financial discrepancies.
Recoveries made from Sudheeshkumar’s residence have reportedly intensified scrutiny of former Board presidents, including A. Padmakumar and N. Vasu, adding to the mounting pressure on the Devaswom administration amid allegations of lapses and irregularities in temple asset management.
