Kerala HC Directs SIT to File Final Report After CSIR Lab Confirms Gold-Stripping Modus Operandi on Copper Plates
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has directed the Special Investigation Team to file its final report after receiving comprehensive metallurgical analysis from CSIR’s National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, confirming the alleged gold-stripping method used on copper plates.
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar, on 20 July 2026 directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) overseeing a suo motu proceeding to conclude its investigation in Crime No. 3700/CB/CU-IV/TVPM/D/2025 and to file the final report before the jurisdictional court at the earliest. The direction came after the court reviewed the final scientific report from the CSIR National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, received on 6 July 2026. The laboratory’s findings provided, in the court’s assessment, a comprehensive scientific basis for understanding the alleged modus operandi by which gold was stripped from copper plates. The matter is next listed on 3 September 2026.
The Allegation and the Copper Plates at the Centre of the Case
The suo motu proceeding arises from allegations that accused persons stripped gold cladding from copper plates. The SIT heading this investigation operates under the Kerala Economic and Police Assistance (KEPA) unit and is led by Sasidharan, IPS, Police Superintendent and Assistant Director of KEPA.
The bench has, across earlier orders, consistently emphasised that this case does not rest merely on ocular or circumstantial evidence. The prosecution is building its case on scientific and forensic evidence — making specialised laboratory analysis central to any final report.
The copper plates and a stripping salt seized from a business called Smart Creations were among the exhibits forwarded for examination. The stripping salt was examined to determine whether it was capable of removing gold cladding from the copper plates in the manner alleged.
Why Specialised Laboratory Analysis Was Indispensable
Earlier in the proceedings, the bench had granted the SIT permission to forward samples to the CSIR National Metallurgical Laboratory. That permission was granted because three highly specialised scientific examinations were required, and no other laboratory in the country possessed the necessary infrastructure, equipment, or technical expertise to conduct them.
The three methods the court identified were X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) for determining surface elemental composition, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for ultra-trace impurity and elemental profiling, and Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) for analysing alloy composition and metallurgical uniformity.
Together, these tests were required to establish: the precise manner in which the accused allegedly stripped gold from the copper plates; the quantity of gold pilfered; and the originality, composition, and metallurgical characteristics of the various copper plates.
What the CSIR National Metallurgical Laboratory Found
The final report from the CSIR National Metallurgical Laboratory was received on 6 July 2026. The court noted that this explained the delay in completing the investigation.
According to the progress report placed before the bench by Sri H. Venkitesh, Additional Director General of Police (Crimes), the laboratory’s findings offered a comprehensive scientific explanation of the entire process allegedly adopted by the accused. The report elucidated the manner in which the gold was stripped from the copper plates and identified the composition and metallurgical characteristics of the plates themselves.
The testing also gave the investigating agency a clear picture of the quality and quantity of gold originally used for cladding the plates, and of the amount of gold used for nano gold plating at Smart Creations. The examination of the stripping salt yielded results that gave the team fresh perspectives on the method the accused allegedly employed.
Officers from the SIT visited the laboratory from 9 July 2026 to 11 July 2026, interacted in detail with the Scientific Officers who conducted the examinations, and recorded their statements as part of the investigation to place the scientific findings in proper evidentiary context.
Status of the Two Crime Numbers
The bench was informed of the investigation status under two separate crime numbers.
For Crime No. 3701/CB/CU-IV/TVPM/D/2025, the SIT stated that the investigation has substantially been completed and the final report can be filed within thirty days from 20 July 2026. Thereafter, the investigating agency will take steps to obtain the requisite prosecution sanction from the competent authority.
For Crime No. 3700/CB/CU-IV/TVPM/D/2025, the SIT informed the court that transactions relating to the alleged pilfering of gold during September 2025 are also being clubbed with the investigation. As of the date of the order, 54 witnesses had been examined in connection with transactions pertaining to 2025. The SIT assured the court that the final report in this crime would also be filed without any further delay, while seeking some additional time to complete certain confidential investigative steps.
The Court’s Assessment of the Investigation
The bench expressed satisfaction that the scientific analysis conducted by the CSIR National Metallurgical Laboratory constitutes a vital and indispensable component of the investigation. It acknowledged the willingness of the institution to undertake what it described as a challenging assignment and observed that the quality of the analysis had substantially aided the progress of the investigation.
The court reaffirmed that no other laboratory in the country possesses the specialised infrastructure, equipment, and technical expertise needed for the metallurgical examinations involved in this case.
The Travancore Devaswom Board is among the respondents, represented by Senior Advocate Sri S. Sreekumar and Sri G. Biju, Standing Counsel for the Board.
Order
The Division Bench directed the SIT to conclude the investigation in Crime No. 3700/CB/CU-IV/TVPM/D/2025 and to file the final report before the jurisdictional court at the earliest. The matter has been listed for 3 September 2026.