A. Padmakumar granted statutory bail in Sabarimala ‘gold theft’ case

The Kollam Vigilance Court on Friday granted conditional statutory bail to A. Padmakumar, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader and former president of the Travancore Devaswom Board, in connection with the ‘gold theft’ from the door frame of the Sabarimala temple’s sanctum sanctorum. The court allowed the bail plea after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to file a chargesheet within the mandatory 90-day period of his remand.

Mr. Padmakumar, who was arrested on November 20, 2025, is the eighth accused in the case, having been implicated in his capacity as the then-president of the TDB. Despite securing bail in this specific case, Mr. Padmakumar will remain in custody as he is still under remand for the theft of gold from the temple’s Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) sculptures. Legal representatives for the accused indicated that they intend to file a fresh bail application for the second case once the 90-day remand period concludes.

Those on bail

The gold theft case has already seen several other key figures secure their release from jail. Primary accused Unnikrishnan Potti, Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru, former administrative officer Murari Babu, and former executive officers D. Sudheesh Kumar and S. Sreekumar, as well as former board president N. Vasu, have all been granted bail and released.

In a similar legal situation to Mr. Padmakumar, former Thiruvabharanam Commissioner K.S. Baiju also remains behind bars. Although Mr. Baiju was granted statutory bail in the ‘door frame’ case, his continued detention is due to a lack of bail in the ‘Dwarapalaka’ sculpture case.