IANS Year Ender 2025: Sabarimala gold theft to LDF poll rout, events that shaped Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 27 Kerala navigated a year of intense political upheaval, legal milestones, and maritime challenges in 2025, marked by the sensational Sabarimala temple gold theft and a significant shift in the state's local governance. The year saw the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) face its most severe electoral setback in a decade, while the judiciary delivered landmark verdicts, including the actress rape case that gripped national attention.

The alleged theft of several kilograms of gold, besides the reported disappearance of certain valuables from the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple, emerged as the central flashpoint of the year. The gold, part of the claddings on the Dwarapalaka idols donated by UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya in 1998-99, triggered a high-level probe following Kerala High Court intervention in October, putting the ruling LDF government in a major fix.

The investigation led to the arrest of N. Vasu and A. Padmakumar, both former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board and senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leaders. The arrests confirmed the Opposition's stand that the temple administration was used for personal enrichment by those close to the power centres, leading to demands for a CBI investigation into the wider conspiracy.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case has made nine arrests, including Vasu and Padmakumar, so far.

In December, the SIT arrested two key accused -- Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari and Bellary-based jeweller Govardhanan -- taking the total number of arrests to nine. The action came in the wake of sharp criticism from the Kerala High Court over delays and lapses in the investigation. Earlier, over 800 grams of gold had been recovered from Govardhanan’s jewellery shop.

Those arrested earlier include former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials, among them administrative officer S. Sreekumar, Unnikrishnan Potty, who is the prime accused in the case, Murari Babu, and Sudheesh Kumar.

This Sabarimala scandal, coupled with persistent inflation and a precarious state treasury, reflected heavily in the November local body elections. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a decisive victory, winning 504 gram panchayats, four out of six corporations, including Kochi and six out of 14 district panchayats. In a historic first, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) captured the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending decades of LDF dominance in the state capital.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan, was named as an accused in a chargesheet filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in April 2025, over the alleged receipt of Rs 1.72 crore by her Bengaluru-based firm, Exalogic Solutions, from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) without rendering any substantial services. In a relief to the CM, the Kerala High Court rejected pleas for a CBI probe into bribery allegations against Vijayan and Veena in April, citing insufficient prima facie evidence. The Supreme Court dismissed the related plea in October, too.

The judiciary remained in the spotlight with the conclusion of the 2017 actress assault case in Kochi. The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep of all charges, citing the prosecution's failure to prove criminal conspiracy. However, the court convicted the first six accused, including the prime accused N.S. Sunil, alias 'Pulsar' Suni, for gang rape and kidnapping. The court sentenced Suni and five others to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, describing the assault as a premeditated attack.

In another sensational case that drew national attention, a Kerala court in January awarded the death penalty to a postgraduate student, Greeshma, after convicting her for the 2022 murder of her lover, Sharon Raj, a paramedical student, in Thiruvananthapuram district. The court held that she had administered a pesticide-laced herbal concoction to the victim in a premeditated attempt to eliminate him. Raj later succumbed to multiple organ failure after remaining under treatment for 11 days. Terming the offence a case of calculated and extreme cruelty, the court categorised it as falling under the “rarest of rare” doctrine.

The Opposition Congress, which is trying to make a comeback in the state after the assembly poll routs in 2016 and 2021, faced a major dilemma when its Palakkad MLA, Rahul Mamkootathil, was hit with sexual misconduct allegations in November. While the High Court granted him interim protection in December, the party suspended him from organisational duties.

Public health remained a concern as the state reported 170 cases of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) in northern Kerala. The "brain-eating amoeba" claimed 42 lives, prompting the health department to issue strict protocols for freshwater usage.

Maritime safety also came under the scanner following two major incidents. In May, the MSC Elsa 3 capsized off the Kochi coast, triggering an environmental alert over potential oil spills. This was followed by a fire on the MV Wan Hai 503 cargo ship off the Kannur coast in June.

The cultural fabric of the state was shaken by the mob lynching of Ram Narayan, a migrant worker from Chhattisgarh, in Palakkad this December. The government announced Rs 10 lakh in compensation for the victim’s family as police booked 15 local residents.

Rapper Vedan (Hirandas Murali), a Malayalam hip-hop artist, faced multiple legal cases in Kerala primarily involving sexual assault allegations, alongside a drug case. A doctor filed a rape case against Vedan in July 2025 with the Thrikkakara police in Kochi, alleging repeated assaults from August 2021 to March 2023 under false marriage promises. Vedan received anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court in August and was briefly arrested in September before release.

The Ernakulam Central police registered another case under IPC Section 354 (assault on modesty) based on a music researcher's harassment complaint, with bail pending. Two more women alleged sexual abuse in 2020, leading to cases after complaints to the Chief Minister; one in August under IPC 354.

The year concluded on a sombre note as Kerala bid farewell to some of its most influential figures. Former Chief Minister and veteran communist leader V.S. Achuthanandan, also known as VS, passed away on July 21 at the age of 101. His death marked the end of an era in Indian politics.

The arts world lost legendary playback singer P. Jayachandran in January, whose career spanned over 16,000 songs. The film industry also mourned the loss of versatile actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan, who died on December 20, along with actors Shanavas and Kalabhavan Navas.

These departures, combined with the shifting political tides, leave Kerala entering 2026 in a state of significant transition.

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