Thiruvananthapuram: In the first major disciplinary action in the widening Sabarimala gold plating scandal, the Travancore Devaswom Board has suspended former Administrative Officer Murari Babu. The crucial decision was made during a Board meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, following a review of his “suspicious” actions and decisions.
The Board’s investigation concluded that Murari Babu committed significant lapses at two critical stages of the controversy. The first occurred in 2019, when, as the Administrative Officer at Sabarimala, he issued the order to replace the original gold plating on the ‘Dwarapalaka’ (guardian deity) sculptures with copper. The Board considers this a grave error.
The second lapse took place in 2025 when, as the Sabarimala Executive Officer, Babu initiated the file recommending that the same sculptures be sent back to the artist, Unnikrishna Potti, for “repairs” and gold coating. The Board has identified this as another serious failure in judgment.
Just before his suspension, Murari Babu spoke to the media, claiming the sculptures were sent for gold plating because the underlying copper had become visible due to wear and tear. He admitted to signing the original order that effectively turned the gold plates into copper ones.
However, his statement is contradicted by the advocate for Smart Creations, the firm that handled the gold plating. According to the advocate, even with significant wear, traces of gold would have remained on the copper plate. This casts serious doubt on Babu’s claim that only copper was visible, suggesting it might be a false narrative.
This suspension marks the first official action from the Devaswom Board in the scandal. The details of any further departmental inquiry against Murari Babu are yet to be announced. The case is also the subject of a parallel investigation by the Crime Branch, which was ordered by the Kerala High Court.
