VACB opens preliminary inquiry into installation of new flag mast at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in 2017

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has opened a preliminary inquiry into the installation of a new flag mast at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in 2017.

Manoj Abraham, Director, VACB, has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a preliminary verification of allegations of corruption, improper accounting, and the misappropriation of sizeable donations, including gold, for the mast’s construction.

The High Court had ordered the Vigilance inquiry and set a 30-day deadline for the agency to file its preliminary report. The Division Bench has asked the VACB to examine whether the episode constituted a cognisable offence warranting the registration of a case.

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) appointed by the then Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government had recommended a new flagstaff for the temple. The TDB had ordered the installation under the questionable premise that termites had infested the concrete pillar, which was covered with gold-plated copper cladding, rendering it unstable.

Subsequently, the TDB obtained the ritual sanction of the then senior Tantri (Chief Priest)  Kandararu Rajeevaru for the construction of a new flag staff. The TDB sought donations for the construction, including gold and cash, through a sponsorship channelled to the temple’s coffers via Unnikrishnan Potti, who has now been arraigned as the main suspect in the Sabarimala gold theft case.

The TDB’s internal vigilance wing had later expressed scepticism about whether the temple authorities had maintained proper records of the donations and conducted a scientific audit to determine how the gold and cash were used for construction.

Moreover, the vigilance wing had also expressed doubt about whether the TDB’s decision to gift the Tantri the gold-plated horse statuette atop the flag mast was in violation of the temple manual.

In 2025, the High Court-appointed Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case recovered the statuette from Mr. Rajeevaru’s residence, days after he was arraigned as an accused in the case.

Several UDF leaders, including the then TDB member and Congress leader Ajay Tharayil, welcomed the investigation. He denied any wrongdoing and said the High Court-appointed Amicus Curiae had not faulted any of the then TDB’s actions, including the decision to follow the custom of gifting the idol on the dismantled flag staff to the senior Tantri.

In an earlier case, the Crime Branch SIT had argued that the Tantri fell in the broad category of a public servant, given that he recieved an honorarium from the TDB.

However, Congress leaders said the public would not miss the political optics behind the move. They pointed out that the Crime Branch SIT had summoned UDF convener Adoor Prakash for questioning to crowd out Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan’s “Puthuyuga Yatra” from the news.

The LDF has maintained that the inquiries were impartial and were being monitored by the High Court.