Kerala High Court retired judge K.T. Sankaran, appointed by the court to appraise all valuables of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, visited the hill shrine on Saturday (October 11, 2025).
Having reached Pampa late on Friday (October 10, 2025), Mr. Sankaran trekked to the temple around 8 a.m. on Saturday. He was accompanied by officials from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), including a goldsmith. The team will examine the Sabarimala strongroom and prepare a detailed inventory of its contents.
Officials said that after completing the procedures at Sabarimala, Mr. Sankaran will also inspect the TDB’s main strongroom at Aranmula on Monday (October 13, 2025).
Report to court
A Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar had recommended Mr. Sankaran for the task. Upon completion of the appraisal, he will submit the report directly to the High Court.
The High Court had earlier ordered a probe following a reduction in the weight of gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols. On Friday, the court also directed the State police to register a criminal case over the alleged misappropriation of gold from the shrine and to initiate a formal investigation.
Published – October 11, 2025 03:44 pm IST
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