Shri M. A. Baby,
You may recall that Shri A. Padmakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA who has been continuing as a member of the CPI(M) Pathanamthitta District Committee for several decades, was arrested on November 20, 2025 by the Special Investigation Team probing the Sabarimala gold robbery case.
Shri Padmakumar, who has been named as the eighth accused in the case, has been lodged in prison for over two months now. His arrest and continued detention followed the investigation’s finding that he played a crucial role in the conspiracy behind the gold robbery that took place at Sabarimala.
Despite this, the CPI(M) has so far not initiated any disciplinary action against him, citing the claim that it is not clear what offence has been charged against him.
However, this claim does not stand scrutiny. The exact nature of Padmakumar’s role in the robbery has been clearly and unambiguously spelled out in the order issued by Kollam Vigilance Court Judge C. S. Mohith in January 2026, while rejecting Padmakumar’s application for anticipatory bail.
The court order states as follows:
“Under Chapter 9 of Volume II of the Travancore Devaswom Manual, the gold-plated Dwarapalaka idols and the pillars inside the sanctum sanctorum installed by the U.B. Group in 1998 constitute the sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa. Since these are sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, and as per Clause 23 on page 116 of the Devaswom Manual, such invaluable objects are not permitted to be taken outside the temple compound for repair or maintenance works, the Devaswom Board President cannot simply absolve himself of responsibility by placing the blame on subordinate officials. The decision to illegally hand over these sacred and invaluable objects to the first accused was officially taken at the Board meeting held on 5/7/2019, following deliberations in the Board meeting of 3/7/2019. The fact that this decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the complainant clearly reflects the complainant’s conspiratorial involvement in this impious and unlawful act. This decision can never be treated as a routine matter that did not require personal attention.” (Paragraph 41)
The judgment goes on to state:
“The fact that the complainant presided over the Board meeting held on 5/7/2019, which resolved to hand over Lord Ayyappa’s sacred ornaments to a private individual under the false pretext that they were copper sheets, ostensibly for gold-plating work, in blatant violation of the explicit provisions of the Devaswom Manual, clearly underscores, at first glance, the complainant’s definite conspiratorial role in this grave and heinous offence.” (Paragraph 43)
Even with such overwhelming evidence and explicit judicial findings on record, the people of Kerala are still unable to comprehend why no action has been taken against Padmakumar.
In this background, the allegation that during the last Lok Sabha election period the CPI(M), under the leadership of Padmakumar, collected an amount of ₹10 crore, and that the party’s reluctance to expel him stems from fear that he may disclose these details if disciplinary action is taken against him, appears to carry weight. This assumption gains further strength from the fact that Padmakumar has been in jail for over two months and that courts have repeatedly rejected his bail applications, yet the CPI(M) continues to refrain from taking any disciplinary measures.
In deference to the faith and beliefs of crores of people in Kerala, I urge you to immediately expel from the party this individual who allegedly led the conspiracy to steal the sacred ornaments from the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala, and thereby uphold and protect the deeply held beliefs of the people of Kerala.
With regards,
Ramesh Chennithala
