Kerala High Court Orders New Case Against LDF Leaders in Sabarimala Gold Theft
The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged theft of gold from Sabarimala temple to register a criminal case against two leaders of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and senior executives who were at the helm of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) from 2023 to 2025. The TDB manages the temple.
The new case involves CPI(M) leader and former TDB president P S Prasanth, and former TDB member and CPI leader A Ajikumar. The allegations relate to the transportation of gold-clad Dwarapalaka idols from the temple to a firm in Chennai in 2023. These idols were originally gold-clad in 1998.
Last year, the SIT had registered two other cases in which CPI(M) leader and former legislator A Padmakumar was arrested. Those cases pertained to the theft that allegedly took place in 2019 during the first term of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala.
The court's order came after it found that the idols were transported to Chennai at the behest of Unnikrishnan Potty, who was then the president of the TDB. The new case focuses on the alleged role of the subsequent TDB leadership in facilitating the transportation of the idols to Chennai in 2023, during the LDF government's second consecutive term.
The investigation into the gold theft has been ongoing, with the SIT examining the roles of various individuals involved in the handling and transportation of the temple's assets. The court's directive adds to the legal scrutiny facing the LDF leaders connected to the management of the Sabarimala temple.
