KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to extend all necessary assistance to former High Court judge Justice K T Sankaran to carry out the appraisal of valuables, including gold offerings made at the Sabarimala Temple, kept in 80 sacks labelled "Kaniponnu" in the Aranmula strong room.
The court also directed the Board's standing counsel to apprise it of the procedure proposed to be adopted for the safe custody of valuable offerings received from devotees in the future so that they can be appraised periodically and a comprehensive inventory can be maintained in digital form.
The directions were issued by Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan after considering a report submitted by the Special Commissioner. The matter has been posted for further hearing on August 4.
The High Court had, on September 29, 2025, appointed Justice K T Sankaran to undertake a comprehensive appraisal of all the articles entered in the Thiruvabharanam Register of the Sabarimala temple as well as those kept in the Aranmula strong room. According to the Special Commissioner's report, the appraisal is nearing completion.
The report said that when the 80 sacks labelled "Kaniponnu" were opened on July 4 during the appraisal, they were found to contain not only gold and silver but also several other materials. It said a proper appraisal of the valuables would not be feasible unless the other materials contained in the sacks were first segregated.
Accepting the submission of the TDB's standing counsel that the Board would extend all necessary assistance for the exercise, the court directed the Board to facilitate the appraisal and segregation of the materials contained in the sacks.