In an unexpected revelation, an audit report submitted by Vinod Rai in Supreme Court states that about 769 pots of gold worth Rs 186 crore is missing from the vaults of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Kerala. Requesting a detailed probe into the matter, former Comptroller and General of India, Vinod Rai’s report claims that 30 per cent of the gold sent for purification (263 kg) are missing from the temple premises. The audit report mentions that the vault was opened atleast seven times between 1990 and 2002.
Vinod Rai was asked to submit the audit report in October 2015. With 822 gold pots taken out of vaults for melting, 1166 gold pots should remain in the vaults. However, the report states that only 397 pots are remaining. With gold and silver worth Rs 14.78 lakh not registered and Rs 59 lakh worth of gold lost during the purification process, Rai, in his report, also insisted on a revamp of the administrative structure of the temple. He also mentioned that account registers for August 2006 and November 2008 were not submitted for audit.
The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple administration had approached the Supreme Court for a detailed investigation into the alleged theft of gold and other ornaments from the temple vaults. The Supreme Court had then ordered Vinod Rai to supervise a special audit of the temple’s property that was allegedly charged with financial irregularities.
