The Kollam Vigilance Court is expected to deliver its verdict on the bail plea of A. Padmakumar, former president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and ex-MLA, in the alleged theft of gold from the dwarapalaka (guardian deity) statues at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple on Wednesday, March 2026).
Mr. Padmakumar, who was arrested on November 20, argues in his petition that he is entitled to statutory bail as the investigation team did not file a charge sheet even 90 days after his arrest. Having already secured statutory bail last month in a related case related to the theft of gold from a gate temple (Kattilappali), Wednesday’s favorable ruling paves the way for his release from jail.
In a parallel development related to the Sabarimala cases, the court will on Thursday hear a medical petition filed by Pankaj Bhandari, owner of Chennai-based Smart Creations, who is currently in custody. Mr. Bhandari sought permission to undergo treatment for the skin disease at a private hospital in Chennai. While the court had earlier sought a medical report from the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital, where he is currently admitted, the prosecution sought more time to submit the document. Mr. Bhandari’s lawyers urged the court to allow him to access private medical care in Kerala if Chennai’s application is rejected, instead of relying solely on government hospital facilities.
Published – 03 March 2026 21:00 IST
