New Delhi [India], January 23 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar has accused both the UDF and LDF of "looting" the Devaswom Board and stated that the public's faith has been "insulted". The senior BJP leader also referred to the recent Kerala High Court order in the Sabrimala gold theft case.
"Kerala High Court is absolutely right, and people of Kerala also feel the same. Both UDF and LDF have looted the Devaswom Board. All temples managed by the Kerala state government have been looted, and the faith of people insulted," Javadekar said in New Delhi on Thursday, reacting to the court's decision to deny bail to key accused in the case.
The Sabarimala gold theft case concerns allegations of the misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from sacred temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols. The theft allegedly occurred in 2019 under the pretext of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures.
The controversy traces its origins to a 1998 donation by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who had gifted 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding work at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Subsequent inspections and court-monitored inquiries revealed discrepancies between the donated gold and the quantity allegedly used.
Meanwhile, Kerala High Court on Wednesday turned down the bail requests of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar and two others in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft cases.
Justice A Badharudeen refused to grant bail to Padmakumar, former TDB administrative officer B Murari Babu, and jeweller Roddam Pandurangaiah Naga Govardhan, who is based in Ballari in Karnataka.
Murari Babu had previously been denied bail in December 2025 and had renewed his plea in January.
On January 20, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted extensive raids across multiple states at 21 locations as part of its investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case.
ED is probing financial transactions related to the Sabarimala gold smuggling case to determine whether large-scale money laundering occurred.