Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala High Court has strongly criticised the state government in connection with the Sabarimala gold plating case. The court’s observations stemmed from the failure of both the government and the Devaswom Board to produce documents proving that the gold plating at the Sabarimala shrine was indeed made of gold. The court noted that the crucial issue was identifying documentary evidence that established the use of gold in the plating. The court observed that there should have been registers or official records relating to the six items cited by the prosecution, including door frames and lintels. In the absence of such documentation, the court expressed serious concern over the manner in which the case had been handled.
The High Court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on December 16 on the bail applications filed by former Devaswom Board President N. Vasu and Deputy Devaswom Commissioner B. Murari Babu, both of whom are accused in the Sabarimala gold plating case. During the hearing, counsel for the accused argued that there were no documents or registers proving that the door frames of the shrine were gold-plated. The defence contended that if the door frames were made of copper, then the notes prepared by N. Vasu were factually correct and no criminal offence could be attributed to him. The bench, however, observed that determining whether an offence had been committed fell within the jurisdiction of the trial court, while the High Court’s role at this stage was limited to making a prima facie assessment for the purpose of deciding the bail plea.
N. Vasu, who is the third accused in the case, argued that the shrine’s door frames were made of copper sheets and that no documentary evidence existed to establish that they were gold-plated. In response, the state maintained that all the items listed in the case were covered with gold and claimed that witness statements supporting this contention had been submitted. The prosecution alleged that Vasu deliberately misrepresented gold-plated door frames as copper plates in the notes prepared to obtain approval for the gold-plating work. It further argued that the case involved not only door frames but also lintels and other objects. However, Justice A. Badaruddin pointed out that the First Information Report (FIR) mentioned only the door frames. He orally questioned whether the prosecution had submitted any additional reports to the court to include other items. The government was unable to produce clear documents in this regard.
Deputy Devaswom Commissioner B. Murari Babu has been named as the second accused in the case related to the alleged theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka idol panels and as the sixth accused in the case concerning the alleged theft of gold from the door frames. He was arrested on October 23 in connection with these cases and has remained in judicial custody since then.
