Thiruvananthapuram, Jan. 20 -- The chemical analysis of gold-cladded sheets at the Sabarimala temple by scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has confirmed a 'systematic and methodical' process of gold tampering and substitution, the Kerala high court said on Monday.

The bench of Justices Raja Vijaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar, in an interim order, underlined that the apprehensions earlier expressed by the court about misappropriation and pilferage of gold assets from the temple "stand prima facie reinforced."

The court made the observations after studying the technical report at VSSC and submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the case. Gold panelling was allegedly misappropriated from the sheets a...