Kerala Court Orders Investigation Over Shrine Gold Theft

The Kerala High Court has directed the state police to initiate a criminal case concerning the alleged misappropriation of gold from the side frames or lintels of a local shrine. The order follows revelations from an ongoing investigation that hinted at potential discrepancies in gold management.

A bench composed of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar made this decision on Friday, citing evidence suggesting that misappropriation was likely involved. The high-level vigilance report presented to the court highlighted that approximately 474.9 grams of gold were handed over to Unnikrishnan Potty, who volunteered for gold-plating tasks.

The court's records, however, lack documentation confirming that this substantial amount of gold was officially entrusted to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) by Potty. Therefore, the bench has tasked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to delve into the issue extensively, covering all related aspects unmasked during their probe.

(With inputs from agencies.)