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ALAPPUZHA: SNDP Yogam general secretary and prominent Ezhava community leader Vellappally Natesan has alleged the presence of "secret groups" extorting money from wealthy devotees in temples managed by Kerala's Devaswom Boards. In a hard-hitting editorial in Yoganadam, the SNDP mouthpiece, Natesan said devaswom employees and middlemen were part of such rackets and accused the boards of large-scale mismanagement and lack of transparency in handling temple assets. Without naming any specific temple or board, his remarks gain significance amid the ongoing gold-plating controversy at Sabarimala, involving the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). The Kerala High Court recently ordered a probe after a missing Dwarapalaka pedestal was found at a relative's house of the businessman who sponsored the gold-plating work.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday pulled up the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for removing the gold-plated copper coverings from the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala without informing the Special Commissioner. A Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar, while considering the Sabarimala Special Commissioner's report, expressed concern over repair works being carried out in Chennai in violation of procedures and court oversight. Installed in 2019 with a 40-year guarantee, the gold-plated coverings developed defects within six years. Sponsored by d ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 10 (ANI): In a scathing attack on the Kerala government amid the escalating Sabarimala gold plating controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader V Muraleedharan on Friday accused the state administration of betraying the trust of devotees and demanded the immediate dismissal of the Devaswom Minister along with the dissolution of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Muraleedharan said that the Kerala High Court's intervention in the matter was a "clear indictment" of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijay ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 22 (ANI): Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan and the dissolution of Travancore Devaswom Board over the Sabarimala gold "theft" issue. He also accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of trying to "brush the issue under the carpet." "Our position as the BJP has been a sharp contrast with the attempts of the CM to try and brush this under the carpet. When 4.5 kgs of gold from a sacred shrine like Sabarimala go missing, we consider it a crime...So, we have maintained from day 1 that ...Read More >
President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta. IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu offeres prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala. Photograph: Courtesy @BJMM4Kerala/X President Murmu is the first woman head of state to visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala for offering prayers. She is also the second president to visit the shrine as before her, former President V V Giri had visited Sabarimala in the 1970s and had tr ...Read More >
The outcome of the local self-govt elections was not as expected for the LDF and the reasons for this will be examined in detail. Necessary corrections will be made moving forward, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.Although a significant victory was anticipated across the state, such progress was not achieved, he said in a statement. "The fact that the NDA gained an advantage in the capital city and the influence of communalism in the election campaign are concerning to those who believe in se ...Read More >
VISAKHAPATNAM: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar inaugurated Andhra Pradesh's first Super ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) compliant building at Sagar Nagar in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Terming it a landmark in sustainable infrastructure, he emphasised the government's commitment to energy efficiency and green design in public facilities. The facility will serve as a national-level training hub for power sector staff. He urged power utilities to expedite 20 lakh rooftop solar connections, targeting 10,000 in each Assembly segment. He reaffirmed nine-hour uninterrupted power for agri ...Read More >
Pathanamthitta: E D Prasad from Chalakudy has been selected as the new Melsanthi (chief priest) of the Sabarimala temple. The selection was made through the traditional draw of lots held at Sannidhanam around 8 am on Saturday. Prasad, a member of the Erannoor Mana in Chalakudy, is currently serving as the Melsanthi of the Areshwaram Sree Dharma Sastha Temple. The draw for the Sabarimala Melsanthi was conducted by Kashyap Varma of the Pandalam royal family. He is the son of Shailendra Varma from Thiruvalla Paliakkara Palace and Pooja Varma from Vailyakottaram Krishnavilasam Palace in Mavelikka ...Read More >
Bengaluru/T'puram: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged gold theft at Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, raided a house at Nagappa Block, Srirampura, in northern Bengaluru on Saturday and recovered materials and documents in connection with the case.A senior officer from Bengaluru said a Kerala police inspector and sub-inspector led the search. A source said the house belongs to Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the case. Meanwhile, the SIT has recovered the gold Potti handed over to the gold trader Govardhan of Ballari. The SIT led by SP Sasidharan recovered the gold from t ...Read More >
Pathanamthitta (Kerala) [India], November 20 (ANI): The Special Investigation Team on Thursday arrested former Travancore Devaswom Board president A Padmakumar in the Sabarimala gold theft case, officials said. He was the Devaswom Board president in 2019, when the gold theft took place. The arrest came after the SIT questioned him for several hours at the State Police Headquarters since this morning. Also Read | 5G Network Expansion: India Set To Cross 1 Million 5G Subscription by End of 2031, Reflecting Rapid Growth in Adoption in Just 3 Years of Service Rollout, Says Report. On November 1 ...Read More >
KOCHI: Hardening its stance against the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for sending gold-plated sheets of 'dwarapalaka idols' of the Sabarimala temple to Chennai for repair without following proper procedure, the Kerala High Court on Friday directed the TDB's chief vigilance and security officer (SP) to seize all the records related to the gold plating of the idols and other items since the date of original cladding. It also impleaded Unnikrishnan Potty of Bengaluru, who is sponsoring the repair, and Smart Creations of Chennai, which is undertaking it, in the case and asked the registry to is ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 6 (ANI): The General Secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, Vellappally Natesan has heavily criticised Kerala's temple administration system, questioning whether "Devaswom Boards have become a curse." Criticising the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for sending gold-plated panels from the temple's Dwarapalaka idols to Chennai for repair without informing the High Court, Natesan wrote in 'Yoganadam', the official mouthpiece of the SNDP Yogam, that such an incident is "deeply painful for Ayyappa devotees" and highlighted that the a ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Judicial first class magistrate court in Ranni on Friday remanded Unnikrishnan Potti, the key accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, to the custody of the special investigation team (SIT) until Oct 30.Potti, who was taken into custody on Thursday from his residence at Pulimath, was subjected to several hours of interrogation at the crime branch headquarters in Eanchakkal before being formally arrested early Friday morning -- marking the first arrest in the case. He was later produced before the Ranni court, which allowed him 10 minutes to interact with his lawyer. Inves ...Read More >
President Droupadi Murmu's helicopter wheels got stuck in a newly concreted helipad at Pramadam, Kerala, due to the concrete not having fully set. The helipad was prepared last minute after a change in landing plans due to weather. The President proceeded to Pamba by road. The wheels of helicopter which carried President Droupadi Murmu to Sabarimala got stuck in a depression in the newly concreted helipad at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium at Pramadam when it landed in Kerala's Pathanamthitta on ...Read More >
Kochi, Sep 12 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Friday ordered immediate seizure of the entire records related to the gold-plating of the 'Dwarapalaka' (guardian deity) idols in front of the Sabarimala sanctum sanctorum, saying there were a lot of "unanswered questions" regarding it. The direction by a bench of justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar came during hearing of a plea initiated by the court on its own with regard to the removal of the gold-plated copper coverings of the 'Dwarapalaka' idols located on either side of the Sreekovil without prior intimation to the Special Commis ...Read More >
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 26 (ANI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT), appointed by the Kerala High Court has questioned Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Smart Creation in Chennai, over the alleged disappearance of gold linked to the Sabarimala temple's restoration work. The company had undertaken the electroplating of gold-clad copper coverings for the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple. The SIT brought the accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, to Chennai after raiding his residence in Bengaluru. Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, was ...Read More >
The Kerala Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday conducted a raid at the Bengaluru residence of Potti Unnikrishnan as part of the ongoing probe. Unnikrishnan, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, was taken to Bengaluru on Friday for evidence collection, has been remanded to police custody until October 30. The SIT is examining his involvement in the 2019 theft of the gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple's Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) panels. Meanwhile, on Thursda ...Read More >
The SIT probing the Sabarimala gold theft has requested permission from the Thantri to conduct a scientific inspection at the Sannidhanam. The SIT aims to examine the gold-plated sheets on the Dwarapalaka sculptures and door frames. Pathanamthitta: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case has requested permission from the Thantri to carry out a scientific inspection at the Sannidhanam. The formal request was submitted to Thantri Mahesh Mohanaru through the Deva ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 10 (ANI): In a scathing attack on the Kerala government amid the escalating Sabarimala gold plating controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader V Muraleedharan on Friday accused the state administration of betraying the trust of devotees and demanded the immediate dismissal of the Devaswom Minister along with the dissolution of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Muraleedharan said that the Kerala High Court's intervention in the matter was a "clear indictment" of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijay ...Read More >
KOCHI: Even as gold prices surge to record highs, Kerala's temples continue to glitter with the devotion of followers. Offerings of gold and silver pour in undeterred. At the famed Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, devotees drop precious metals into the hundi (offering box) in astonishing quantities -- around 20 to 25 kg of gold and 120 to 150 kg of silver every year. The October 2025 collection alone yielded 2.58 kg of gold and 9.31 kg of silver. The Sabarimala hill shrine, which opens only for three months during the pilgrimage season, receives nearly 15 kg of gold during that short period. A ...Read More >
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the loss of gold from Sabarimala temple conducted searches at the prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty's Bengaluru apartment and a jewellery shop in Ballari. Gold bars were seized from the shop, owned by Govardhan, who reportedly funded the temple's Sreekovil door frame gold-plating work sponsored by Potty. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple conducted searches at the apartment of prime accused Unnikris ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 1 (PTI) The opposition Congress and the BJP on Wednesday questioned why the gold-plated cladding of the 'Dwarapalakas' was removed in 2019 for renovation, why its weight was reduced when it was brought back to the shrine, and demanded a comprehensive probe into the matter. Both the BJP and Congress alleged that these actions took place with the knowledge of the government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, V D Satheesan, questioned why the cladding -- which had a 40-year guarantee after being gold-plated in 1990 -- ...Read More >
Unnikrishnan Potty, who allegedly sponsored gold plating of temple items in 2019, has been arrested from his Thiruvananthapuram residence. This comes after Kerala HC found that the items that Potty allegedly took for gold plating in 2019 had been missing gold. A Special Investigation Team probing alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple Thursday took Unnikrishnan Potty, who had sponsored gold-plating of temple items, into custody. Following directions from the Kerala High Cou ...Read More >
Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Oct 17 (PTI) A local court in Ranni here on Friday granted custody of Unnikrishnan Potty, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold missing case, to the SIT probing the matter. The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court granted the custody of Potty to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) till October 30. The accused claimed he had been 'trapped' by somone. "Those who trapped me will come before the law," he told reporters while being taken out of the court. A person in the crowd gathered outside the court hurled a footwear at Potty as he was being escorted out of the ...Read More >
KOCHI: A month ahead of the Mandala festival season, the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple selected the melsanthi (chief priest) on Saturday. E D Prasad of Erannoor Mana at Mattathur Kunnu in Chalakudy has been selected the chief priest. M G Manu Namboothiri of Mayyanad in Kollam district will serve as the melsanthi of Malikappuram temple. The new melsanthis will assume charge on November 17, the first day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam. The two-month-long Mandala Makaravilakku season will commence on November 17 and conclude on January 21. The melsanthis were selected through a draw of ...Read More >
PATHANAMTHITTA: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday performed the traditional Irumudikettu ritual at Pampa before proceeding to the Sabarimala temple for darshan at the sanctum of Lord Ayyappa. Arriving at Pampa around 11 a.m. in a special motorcade, the President symbolically washed her feet in the Pampa River before offering prayers at the nearby Ganapathi temple. Under the supervision of chief priest Vishnu Namboothiri, the Irumudikettu, the sacred twin bundle carried by Ayyappa devotees, was prepared and tied for the President and her entourage. Accompanying the President were her Aide ...Read More >
KOCHI: Justice N Nagaresh of the Kerala High Court on Friday expressed displeasure over the suspended Kerala University registrar describing "Bharat Mata" as "a lady holding a saffron flag" in the petition challenging the disciplinary action against him. Registrar K S Anil Kumar was suspended by the vice-chancellor in-charge for cancelling permission for a June 25 event scheduled to be attended by Governor Rajendra Arlekar. He had cited the display of a controversial image of "Bharat Mata" carrying a saffron flag on the dais at the Senate Hall, Thiruvananthapuram as the reason for withdrawing ...Read More >
Kochi, Sep 12 ( IANS) The Kerala High Court on Friday came down heavily on the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for removing gold-plated copper coverings from the Dwarapalaka (guardian) idols at Sabarimala without informing the court-appointed Special Commissioner. A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar, while hearing the Special Commissioner's report, expressed concern that the TDB bypassed procedure and court oversight by sending the ornaments for repairs to a Chennai-based firm, Smart Creations. The gold-plated coverings, guaranteed for 40 years when i ...Read More >
Malappuram (Kerala) | Leader of Opposition in the Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan on Tuesday accused the ruling CPI (M) of having an "unholy alliance" with the BJP and cited a message from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, which was read out at the recent Global Ayyappa Sangamam, as the latest example of this partnership. Continuing to criticise Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the Sangamam held in Pampa, he alleged that the Marxist party veteran tried to showcase a "pseudo devotion" during the event. "By showing pseudo devotion... by creating an impression of devotion, he tri ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram [Kerala], October 2 (ANI): The Sabrimala gold-plating controversy has intensified, with investigators struggling to trace key records linked to the 30.3 kg of gold and 1,900 kg of copper donated by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998 for cladding the sanctum sanctorum and wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. Also Read | Mohan Bhagwat Says 'Pahalgam Attack Revealed India's True Friends' During Public Address on RSS 100th Anniversary (Watch Video). Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, in response to ANI, said a detailed probe was underway under High Court sup ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 17 (ANI): In a major development, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court has arrested Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, on Friday. The arrest was officially recorded at 2:30 a.m. on Friday. Also Read | Kolkata Fatafat Result Today, October 17, 2025: Kolkata FF Live Winning Numbers Released, Know When and Where To Check Result Chart of Satta Matka-Type Lottery Game. Unnikrishnan Potti's arrest pertains to the theft of gold plating from the sanctum's wooden panels and the Dwara ...Read More >