Congress Accuses Kerala LDF Government of Aiding Sabarimala Gold Theft

The Congress party organized a protest march to the Kerala Secretariat on November 12, 2025, where All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal stated that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government aided the theft of gold from the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. The allegations relate to the disappearance of approximately 4.5 kg of gold from gold-plated copper casings covering stone carvings and sculptures at the temple, including the dwarapalaka (guardian) idols, which were removed in 2019 for restoration without court approval.

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), responsible for the temple's administration, entrusted the restoration work in 2019 to Unnikrishnan Potti, a former temple assistant, who transported the casings to a workshop in Chennai operated by Smart Creations. The Kerala High Court initiated an investigation in September 2025 after a report from Special Commissioner R. Jayakrishnan revealed that the casings were removed without permission from the Devaswom bench and showed signs of gold stripping. The court directed the Devaswom Vigilance wing to probe, followed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kerala Crime Branch, headed by ADGP H. Venkatesh, to register a case on October 10, 2025.

The SIT's reports, according to Manorma, to the High Court identified irregularities, including the absence of records for the transfer of 474.9 grams of residual gold handed to Potti after plating the door frames, which was not returned to the TDB.

Arrests by the SIT, as per the hindu, include Potti as the first accused on October 16, 2025; his associate Kalpesh as the second accused; former Thiruvabharanam temple Commissioner K.S. Baiju on November 7, 2025; suspended TDB officer Murari Babu on October 31, 2025; and former TDB Commissioner and President N. Vasu on November 11, 2025. All 2019 TDB members, including Vasu, the Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, and Assistant Engineer, were named as the eighth accused for alleged extraction of gold from the idols, causing financial loss to the board. The SIT indicted 11 persons, including nine TDB officials, for cheating, conspiracy, and theft of temple property.

According to The hindu, The Kerala Assembly proceedings were disrupted on October 6, 2025, due to protests by the United Democratic Front (UDF) over the issue, leading to an early adjournment. The High Court criticized the TDB for "casual and negligent" handling of assets and ordered a comprehensive inventory of temple valuables by a former judge on November 6, 2025. The SIT sought permission for scientific examination to verify the gold weight before and after restoration. TDB president P.S. Prasanth was replaced by Jayakumar following the protests.