Overview
- Former Travancore Devaswom Board member N. Vijayakumar was arrested on December 29, becoming the 10th person held in the Sabarimala gold case, with police probing his role in the 2019 handover of plates to prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti.
- According to his remand statement, Vijayakumar told investigators he signed key papers on the gold-plating works at the instruction of then board president A. Padmakumar, who remains in custody.
- On December 30, the Kerala High Court allowed two Circle Inspectors to join the Special Investigation Team and later noted an allegation that the inquiry is lagging while posting key bail pleas to January 6.
- The SIT has widened field work beyond Kerala, conducting searches and questioning in Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu, as it follows leads on missing temple artefacts.
- Investigators have questioned former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, intensifying political pressure on CPI(M) figures linked to board decisions under scrutiny.