Kollam court grants two-day police custody to A. Padmakumar on November 26 for interrogation on Sabarimala gold misappropriation during his 2019 TDB presidency.
Secretary M.V. Govindan defers disciplinary action till chargesheet, vows no protection for guilty; denies party involvement despite arrests of leaders like N. Vasu.
Congress, BJP demand minister-probe expansion, term it 'biggest scam'
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] on Wednesday indicated it would initiate disciplinary proceedings against former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president and party district committee member A. Padmakumar only after the chargesheet is filed in the Sabarimala gold theft case, following the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) securing of two-day police custody for the accused. State secretary M.V. Govindan, addressing the media after a party meeting, reiterated the CPI(M)'s zero-tolerance stance, stating, "If anyone from the CPI(M) is found involved, the party will not spare them," while deferring immediate action to await the probe's outcome.
Padmakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA from Pathanamthitta, was arrested on November 20 by the Kerala High Court-appointed SIT investigating the alleged pilferage of gold from the temple's sanctum sanctorum artefacts, including gold-plated copper panels donated by Vijay Mallya in 1998. The scandal, spanning 2019-2025, involves accusations of marking gold-plated items as mere copper during "restoration" works handed to key accused Unnikrishnan Potty, a former temple aide, leading to the disappearance of significant gold quantities. Prior arrests include another ex-TDB president N. Vasu (November 11), suspended officer D. Murari Babu, and Potty, with the SIT's scientific examination of temple panels during the ongoing Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival uncovering discrepancies.
The Kollam court granted custody on November 26 to allow further interrogation, amid revelations from Padmakumar's statements implicating former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran and senior priest Kandararu Rajeevaru in approving Potty's dubious "free restoration" offer. Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan (Congress) labeled it Kerala's "biggest corruption scandal," demanding probes into three Devaswom ministers and accusing CPI(M) of shielding wrongdoers, while BJP's K. Surendran called for a CBI takeover. Govindan dismissed such claims as "chimaera" by media and right-wing forces, insisting the SIT—under the LDF government—must probe impartially, and denied any 2018 "Save Sabarimala" funding links.
The case, rooted in a 2019 application received by the Devaswom department under Surendran, has intensified amid local body elections, with Pathanamthitta CPI(M) secretary Raju Abraham welcoming the investigation but urging its expansion. As the SIT delves into financial trails and priestly testimonies, the scandal threatens to erode the ruling front's credibility in the temple's politically charged heartland.
