A Kollam vigilance court on Friday granted conditional statutory bail to A. Padmakumar, leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and former president of the Travancore Devaswom Board, in connection with the “theft of gold” from the doorpost sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple. The court granted 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 as he was implicated in his capacity as the then TDB president. Despite securing bail in this particular case, Mr. Padmakumar will remain in custody as he is still in custody for stealing gold from the temple’s Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) statues. Lawyers for the accused said they intend to file a new bail application in the second case once the 90-day remand period expires.
Those on bail
The gold theft case has already seen several other key figures secure their release from prison. 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 chairman N. Vasu, were all granted bail.
In a similar legal situation to Mr. Padmakumar, former Thiruvabharanam Commissioner KS Baiju also remains behind bars. Although Mr. Baiju was granted statutory bail in the ‘doorframe’ case, his continued detention is due to lack of bail in the ‘Dwarapalaka’ statue case.
Published – 20 February 2026 20:10 IST