"Kerala Government remains indifferent:" KPCC President Sunny Joseph on Sabarimala gold theft case

The Congress MLA further alleged that the government is unable to arrest the culprits and accused the government of betraying the devotees.

"Kerala Government continues to remain indifferent in the Sabarimala gold theft case. The investigation is dragging on like a snail. They are unable to put the culprits in handcuffs. The government has betrayed the devotees. Sabarimala issue is being viewed with utmost seriousness. Although the Special Investigation Team was appointed by the court, it functions under the Home Department," said Joseph.

Meanwhile, Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar demanded a central investigation into Sabarimala Gold theft and an audit of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

This comes after the Kerala High Court granted permission to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a scientific examination as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged case.

Slamming Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Chandrasekhar said, "This is a scam, a crime. Every attempt by the Chief Minister of Kerala to characterise it as a slip-up, to protect his Devasom Board and Devasom Minister, is going to be unsuccessful. We are clear that there must be a central investigation into this crime and that an audit of the Devasom Board must be conducted. What we are seeing today is the tip of the iceberg, and there has to be a criminal investigation."

Earlier, the members of the opposition walked out of the assembly in protest over the Sabarimala gold theft case.Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, stated that the High Court has made it clear that a board member was involved in the gold theft from the Sabarimala Temple.

"The High Court has made it clear that a Devasworm board member definitely had a role in taking the sculpture of Sabrimala Aiyyappa temple to outside ...they knew very well that there was a fraud...the high court made it very clear...that's why we are asking to the expel the Devasworm board...at the same time the Devasworm board minister is also responsible, he has to resign...that is our demand,' he said.

The Sabarimala gold controversy involves alleged irregularities concerning the gold plating work at the Sabarimala temple. This situation arose from a donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998, intended for cladding the sanctum sanctorum and wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala.

Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused, was reportedly taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on October 17. The SIT, which is investigating the matter, submitted its second report to the Kerala High Court on Wednesday, revealing serious irregularities in the minutes of the Travancore Devaswom Board. According to the SIT report, the record book does not include details about the transfer of the dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol to Unnikrishnan Potti in 2019.

Furthermore, the report indicates that no entries have been made after July 28, 2025. It also notes that the documentation regarding the transfer of gold platings to Smart Creations, the firm responsible for the electroplating of gold-clad copper coverings for the idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple is missing from the minutes book. Currently, the SIT has requested permission to conduct a scientific investigation to determine the actual weight of the gold-plated idols before and after restoration. (ANI)