Kochi: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Deputy Commissioner Murari Babu was suspended by the TDB in connection with the disappearance of gold from Sabarimala Temple.
The decision was taken by the TDB during a High level meeting at Thiruvananthapuram today.
Murari Babu stated that the dwarapalaka (temple guard) was made of copper and had signed the order in 2019.
He reportedly ordered that the plates be handed over to Unnikrishnan Potti for re-plating in gold in 2025.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) handed over approximately 42.8 kg of gold-plated items to one sponsor Unnikrishnan Potti for makeover in 2019.
When the items were returned to the temple, their weight had dropped to just over 38 kg, showing a loss of about 4.5 kg of gold.
Potti sent an email to TDB officials seeking permission to use the leftover gold for a wedding, former TDB President Vasu said.
The items were originally gold plated in 1998 sponsored by industrialist Vijay Mallya.
Acting on a report of Sabarimala Special Commissioner alerting the Kerala High Court about the disappearance of gold, the court directed a probe by TDB vigilance which ratified the fear of the Special Commissioner.
The High Court has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct detailed probes into the matter. The High Court criticized the TDB for its poor security and lack of accountability regarding temple valuables.
