Thiruvananthapuram, 24 July (H.S.):The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Sabarimala gold misappropriation case has claimed that former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prashanth directly intervened in the decision to transport the temple's gold-plated door panels to a private firm in Chennai, despite expert objections, according to the remand report submitted before the court.

The remand report, accessed by Asianet News, states that Tiruvabharanam Commissioner Rejilal had advised against sending the panels to Chennai after concluding that Smart Creations, the private firm entrusted with the work, lacked the necessary facilities to remove and re-plate the gold coating. In a report submitted to the Devaswom Secretary on July 30, 2025, Rejilal recommended that the restoration be carried out using traditional methods.

Investigators allege that Prashanth overruled this recommendation and wrote to the Devaswom Secretary advocating that the work be entrusted to the Chennai-based company. The report further alleges that pressure was exerted on the commissioner to secure a favourable decision, following which the Travancore Devaswom Board approved the proposal at its meeting on August 2, 2025.

The SIT has also alleged that forged documents were created to facilitate the transport of the panels to Chennai and that no valid contract existed at the time they were moved. According to the investigation, stamp papers were purchased in Ballari on August 8, 2025, after the panels had already reached Chennai. A purported agreement was then signed on August 10 by contractor Potti and Commissioner Rejilal.

The remand report claims that gold was removed from four of the 12 panels transported to Chennai and alleges that the accused conspired to conceal an earlier gold misappropriation dating back to 2019. It further states that the actions caused wrongful financial loss to the Travancore Devaswom Board while conferring undue financial benefits on Smart Creations owner Pankaj Bhandari.

The SIT has recommended a detailed investigation into the role of Travancore Devaswom Board officials who served between 2020 and 2025 in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman