‘Rs 10 lakh handed over to devaswom board, gold chain for Lord Ayyappa’; Govardhan produces evidences

KOCHI: A new revelation in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Govardhan, owner of Roddam jewelry in Bellary, revealed to the Kerala High Court that he paid Rs 9,99,995 to the Travancore Devaswom Board in five demand drafts in exchange for the 474 grams of gold that remained after gold plating the Dwarapalaka idols.

Govardhan informed the court that this amount was transferred to the Devaswom Board's Annadhana Trust. He produced the documents of the payment in the court. In addition to this, Govardhan said that he had also given a gold chain worth about Rs 2,73,000 to Sabarimala Ayyappa Swamy. He also stated that he had taken an insurance for this necklace for Rs 43,000 in the name of Sabarimala executive officer.

Govardhan also informed the court that the investigation team threatened him. Govardhan argued that they recovered 474 grams of gold worth Rs 59 lakh which was in his possession after threatening to arrest him. He told the court that he had suffered double loss by reseizing the gold after he had given the money in exchange for the gold to the devaswom.

He said that he knew Unnikrishnan Potty since 2009. The friendship began when Potty helped him book a padi puja as he knew only Kannada and English. Govardhan said that he was the one who paid for the construction of the door of the sanctum sanctorum in Sabarimala on the directions of Potty.

Govardhan said that he bore the expenses of plating the teak wood with copper sheets and gold plating it. Later demanded him to sponsor the gold plating of the door frames and the Dwarapalaka idols. Govardhan made these arguments in the high court along with the documents of paying the money and booking the padi pooja.