THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, on Tuesday said the gold of the famed Sabarimala temple’s Dwarapalaka plates was sold for crores of rupees with the approval of the Devaswom Board and the government.
Speaking to reporters soon after the day’s session in the Kerala Legislative Assembly was wound up following the protests by the Congress-led Opposition, Satheesan said the High Court’s findings had confirmed the Opposition’s long-standing charge that a “grave act of theft and sale” had taken place at Sabarimala.
“The court has made it clear that what occurred was a serious fraud. The original gold-plated Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) plates were taken out of the temple and sold at a high price, while a copper mould was sent to Chennai in their place. When it was brought back, the Devaswom Board pretended not to notice the difference in weight, ” he said.
Satheesan alleged that the Board and the government deliberately covered up the theft because senior officials would otherwise have been implicated.