Thiruvananthapuram,20 Nov (H.S.): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold scam on Thursday questioned former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar, marking a crucial escalation in the investigation into the alleged disappearance of gold used in the sanctum sanctorum’s door frames.
Padmakumar was summoned to a confidential location in Thiruvananthapuram, where the interrogation was led by SP Shashidharan. Although there were earlier indications that he might be called in on Tuesday or Friday, the SIT contacted him only on Wednesday evening and directed him to appear in the capital the next morning. No prior written notice had been issued. He travelled from his residence in Aranmula early Thursday after receiving the sudden instruction.
This is the second time the SIT has sought to question the CPM leader. He had previously avoided interrogation, citing health issues. The fresh notice was issued as investigators intensified efforts to trace how gold plating from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames was allegedly misreported as copper during earlier restoration works.
The renewed scrutiny follows the arrest of N Vasu on Tuesday. Vasu had served as Devaswom Commissioner and later as TDB president in 2019, the period when the alleged misappropriation occurred. According to the SIT, gold used for plating the sacred door frames was deliberately recorded as copper on Vasu’s instructions. With this, he has been named the third accused in the case, while Unnikrishnan Potti is the first accused and Sudheesh Kumar the fourth.
After his arrest was formally recorded, Vasu was produced before a Pathanamthitta court, which remanded him to 14 days’ judicial custody. He has since been lodged at the Kottarakkara Sub Jail.
Padmakumar has come under the SIT’s scanner because he was the TDB president during the period when Vasu functioned as Devaswom Commissioner. Investigators believe his statements are crucial to understanding the chain of decisions and administrative lapses that allegedly enabled the gold to go missing.
The Sabarimala gold scam—concerning the loss of gold from the door frames of one of India’s most revered temples—has triggered intense political and public scrutiny. With high-ranking former officials now being questioned and arrested, the investigation is expected to tighten further in the coming days.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
