Claim
A court order in the Sabarimala case says the Devaswom board had malicious motive, deliberately described the gold-clad dwarapalaka idols as copper plates and concealed their true nature.
“दिस इज व्हाट दिस कोर्ट ऑर्डर से... दे सेड दैट द बोर्ड हैड मेशियस मोटिव डेलीबेटली डिस्क्राइब द गोल्ड क्लैड द्वारका पालकास एस कॉपर प्लेट्स एंड कंसील्ड इट्स ट्रू नेचर”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The Kerala High Court's order in the Sabarimala gold-plating/dwarapalaka case did note that Travancore Devaswom Board members, acting with malicious motive, deliberately described the gold-cladded dwarapalaka idols as 'copper plates' while permitting their 2019 transport to Chennai, thereby concealing their true nature so gold could be removed and only a thin film re-plated. This matches the anchor's characterization of the court order closely; multiple reputable legal and news sources corroborate the exact 'malicious motive'/'copper plates'/'concealed true nature' language.
Evidence
- https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/kerala-high-court/kerala-high-court-sabarimala-gold-theft-539232 LiveLaw report on the Kerala High Court's June 29, 2026 hearing in the Sabarimala gold-theft/dwarapalaka case; the court's earlier findings held that Travancore Devaswom Board members, with malicious motive, deliberately described the gold-cladded idols as 'copper plates' and concealed their true nature. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/kerala-high-court-orders-sit-probe-into-missing-gold-from-sabarimala-temple-dwarapalaka-idols Reports the Kerala HC finding that idols gold-cladded in 1998 were transported to Chennai in 2019, and that Board members with malicious motive described the gold-clad idols as 'copper plates' to conceal their true nature, intending to remove the gold and replate a thin film while misappropriating the balance. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/sabarimala-gold-case-sit-names-former-tdb-chief-p-s-prasanth-ex-chief-priest-as-accused Confirms the SIT/court-monitored probe named former TDB president P S Prasanth and ex-chief priest as accused for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and forgery over gold misappropriation from the dwarapalaka idols. ✓ reachable · archived