The political stir in the Sabarimala gold theft case has intensified. In this case, senior CPI(M) MLA and former Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran has been interrogated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Although this inquiry took place on Saturday, its information came to light on Tuesday, after which monitoring of the investigation has become more strict. This case is going on under the supervision of Kerala High Court.
In a brief conversation with the media, Kadakampally Surendran confirmed the questioning and said, “I was the Devaswom minister when this incident happened, so I appeared before the SIT.” After this he refused to comment further.
Former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P. Prashanth, whose tenure ended last month, has also been questioned in this case. Information about the investigation has come to light at a time when the SIT on Tuesday sought permission from the Kerala High Court to expand the investigation team. This development has given rise to speculation in political and legal circles regarding the direction and pace of the investigation.
Justice Ziyad Rehman AA. And Justice M.B. Snehlata’s vacation bench gave oral permission to the SIT to include two additional officers of circle inspector rank. The court said that the permission is being given after considering the report presented by the SIT chief.
This SIT was formed after the intervention of the High Court, when the court took suo motu cognizance on the basis of the report of the Special Commissioner. The report alleged that the gold-plated copper sheets on the Dvarapalak (gatekeeper) idols and Peetham in the Sabarimala temple were removed without informing the court, following which the gold was suspected to be missing.
The case pertains to the alleged looting of gold from the gatekeeper statues and lintels at the Sabarimala temple. Earlier, the High Court had given additional time of six weeks to the SIT to complete the investigation, because scientific testing had started on the orders of the court.
Now the next hearing of this case is scheduled on 14 January 2026. Politically, Kadakampally Surendran remains the center of inquiry. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan has been continuously alleging that the investigation is being slowed down to protect the former minister. He repeated these allegations even when Surendran filed a defamation case against him.
At the same time, former state Labor Minister and senior UDF leader Shibu Baby John has also raised questions on the direction of the investigation. Citing the petition in the High Court demanding a CBI investigation, he said that within a few weeks of the SIT investigation starting, its pace seems to be slowing down.
