Kochi, February 19 The SIT investigating the alleged misappropriation of gold from Sabarimala told the Kerala High Court that the final report can be filed before the relevant court by March 31.
This submission was made before a bench of justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar, based on the assurance by the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, that it would expeditiously test the samples collected from the Sabarimala artifacts and provide a report as soon as possible.
"In light of this assurance, the SIT has submitted that the final report can be presented to the relevant court by March 31, 2026," the bench noted.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) told the High Court that it has collected a total of 36 samples related to the two cases of alleged misappropriation of gold from the idols of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
It also informed the bench that the laboratory has agreed to conduct the examinations at no cost, considering their importance.
The team also told the High Court that the samples have been submitted to the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance), Kollam, for transmission to the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, for scientific examination.
The SIT further submitted that efforts are being made to obtain call data records from mobile service providers in respect of the phones allegedly used by certain accused persons and their interactions.
It said that as more than two years have elapsed, it may be necessary to issue appropriate directions to the mobile service providers, namely Vodafone Idea, Jio, BSNL, and Airtel, to secure any available data that may reveal relevant details related to the crime.
In light of the SIT's submission, the court granted it permission to make such requests to the said mobile service providers.
"Upon receipt of such a request, and subject to availability, the service providers shall endeavour to provide the data to the Special Investigation Team," the court said.
During the hearing, the government told the court that the Director, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Thiruvananthapuram, has appointed Hari C S, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Special Investigation Unit-I, Thiruvananthapuram, to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations of irregularities in the misappropriation of gold related to the temple flag mast at Sabarimala.
"The names of the officers appointed to assist the head of the Investigation Team have also been provided. It is stated that a report regarding the inquiry shall be submitted within a period of 30 days," the court noted and listed the matter for further hearing on March 26.
On February 9, the SIT had told the court that samples of artifacts collected from the hill shrine would be sent to specialized agencies, including BARC in Mumbai, for scientific analysis.
It had claimed that advanced scientific analysis was indispensable to establish, with precision and objectivity, the extent of material alteration, the nature of metallurgical manipulation, and the quantity of gold originally present and subsequently depleted.
It had proposed to conduct X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) to determine surface elemental composition, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for ultra-trace impurity and elemental profiling, and Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) to analyze alloy composition and metallurgical uniformity.
The SIT had told the court that it would be approaching premier national research institutions and laboratories, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, and the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, to undertake these specialized tests.