Secretary submits report recommending digitalization of gold inventory in devaswom temples

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The devaswom secretary has submitted a report to the minister recommending that the gold inventory in devaswom temples be digitalized. According to the recommendation, there should be a digital record whenever gold is purchased and transferred to the strong room. Secretary Rajamanikyam has also recommended that new guidelines be introduced for gold plating and covering. The report further recommended that this system be implemented in all devaswoms.

Meantime, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case is likely to submit its chargesheet in the first week of September. A meeting was held recently under the leadership of SP Sashidharan, who heads the investigation team, and the process of preparing the chargesheet has begun. The investigation team is planning to submit a single chargesheet covering the 2019 gold theft as well as the 2025 gold-plating cases. The investigation into the 2025 conspiracy case is being conducted along with the investigation into the 2019 gold theft.

The SIT's findings are that although no gold was lost in 2025, there was a conspiracy to cover up the 2019 theft. The investigation found there was a dereliction of duty. The SIT has concluded that an order issued by the new devaswom board was designed in a manner that helped conceal the 2019 crime. The investigation team suspects that senior officials of the devaswom board were also involved in it. The SIT is investigating where the file seeking approval for the 2025 gold-plating work originated. As part of the investigation, the SIT has taken into custody the dispatch register from the devaswom board headquarters containing records of correspondence between 2022 and 2025.