Kerala Assembly adjourned after Opposition protest over Sabarimala gold-plating row

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly was adjourned on Monday after the Opposition staged a strong protest over the alleged gold theft from the Sabarimala temple. Meanwhile, a total of six bills were referred to the subject committee. 

Raising banners and placards, Opposition members accused the state government of protecting those involved in the gold-plating irregularities. The uproar began soon after the session opened and continued despite repeated interventions by Speaker A N Shamseer, forcing the House to be adjourned for the day.

Outside the Assembly, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan alleged that both the state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) were aware of the gold theft as early as 2022 but chose to suppress the information.
“The Devaswom Board and the government are equally responsible. If Unnikrishnan Potty alone is the accused, why did the government delay action?” Satheesan asked.

The Opposition has put forward three demands: a CBI probe into the case, the resignation of the Devaswom Minister, and the removal of the TDB president.

Meanwhile, Devaswom Vigilance has questioned Potty multiple times recently after detecting suspicious financial dealings, indicating possible links to a larger network. Investigators are probing whether donations collected for the gold-plating project were misused and diverted, and a separate inquiry will examine Potty’s assets.

The Vigilance report is expected to be submitted to the High Court next week, after which the government may hand over the case to the Crime Branch.

The Travancore Devaswom Board, on its part, plans to request a High Court-monitored investigation into the controversy, covering the period from 1998—when businessman Vijay Mallya donated gold sheets for the temple’s sanctum—up to 2025.