Murari Babu, former Administrative Officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the second accused in the controversial Sabarimala gold scam case, passed away on Saturday while undergoing treatment for cancer at a private hospital in Kerala.
A native of Perunna in Changanassery, Murari Babu died at Amrita Hospital after battling the illness. His funeral is scheduled to be held at his residence in Perunna at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Murari Babu was under investigation in connection with allegations involving the theft and misappropriation of gold-plated panels removed from the door frames of the Sabarimala temple, as well as gold-plated ‘Dwarapalaka’ (guardian deity) sculptures. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been probing claims that the valuable gold-plated materials removed during renovation works were improperly accounted for and allegedly diverted.
Following the allegations, Murari Babu was suspended from service after being named as an accused in the case. During questioning, he reportedly maintained that the classification of the removed gold-plated panels as copper was based on a communication received from the temple priest.
Born into a financially modest family, Murari Babu initially joined the police department as a constable in 1994 but left before completing his training. He later joined the Travancore Devaswom Board in 1997 and steadily rose through the ranks. During his career, he served at several prominent temples, including Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple, Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, and Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple.
Apart from the Sabarimala gold case, Murari Babu faced scrutiny in several other controversies during his tenure. The Vigilance Department had alleged that he amassed assets worth crores of rupees despite occupying a relatively low-ranking post in the Devaswom Board. Investigators had also examined the construction of a luxury residence at his ancestral property in Changanassery.
He was further linked to investigations concerning alleged irregularities in elephant procurement contracts for temple festivals, missing gold and silver ornaments from temple premises, and the handling of a fire incident at Ettumanoor temple. Allegations were also raised regarding the installation of gold-plated ornaments without obtaining the necessary approvals from the authorities.
Despite a directive from the Kerala High Court discouraging the posting of employees facing serious allegations in sensitive positions such as Sabarimala, Murari Babu was later appointed Administrative Officer at the hill shrine.
Vigilance officials had additionally found that he allegedly communicated directly with a private company regarding gold-plating work on the Dwarapalaka sculptures without informing or obtaining approval from the Travancore Devaswom Board.
His death comes at a time when investigations and legal proceedings related to the Sabarimala gold scam and other associated cases remain ongoing. Authorities are expected to continue their probe into the alleged irregularities despite the demise of one of the key accused in the case.
