Year Ender 2025: Sabarimala gold theft to LDF poll rout, events that shaped Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 27 (LatestNewsX) – Kerala experienced a whirlwind of events in 2025, ranging from high‑profile legal battles to a dramatic shift in local politics. The year was punctuated by a sensational gold‑theft scandal at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple, a series of landmark court rulings, and electoral outcomes that reshaped the state’s civil‑service landscape.
The controversy over missing gold centers on claddings that adorned the Dwarapalaka idols, donated by UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya during 1998‑99. The pieces, weighing several kilograms, vanished along with other precious items, which prompted the Kerala High Court to order a probe in October. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) suddenly found itself thrust into a political crisis.
Central to the investigation was the Special Investigation Team (SIT). By year‑end, the SIT had arrested nine individuals, including former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) presidents N. Vasu and A. Padmakumar, both senior CPI‑Marxist leaders. Their apprehension confirmed opposition claims that temple officials had exploited the institution for personal enrichment. The SIT’s most recent arrests—CEO Pankaj Bhandari of Smart Creations and jeweller Govardhanan of Bellary—brought the total to nine, following criticism from the high court over delays. An 800‑gram cache of gold was recovered from Govardhanan’s shop.
The Sabarimala saga unfolded against a backdrop of soaring inflation and a weak state treasury. These factors weighed heavily in the November local‑body elections. The Congress‑led United Democratic Front (UDF) dominated, securing 504 gram‑panchayats, four of six corporations (including Kochi), and six of 14 district panchayats. A historic change occurred when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) captured the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending decades of LDF rule in the capital.
Earlier in the year, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, Veena Vijayan, was named as an accused in an SFIO chargesheet filed in April 2025. The case alleged that her Bengaluru‑based firm, Exalogic Solutions, received ₹1.72 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) without rendering any substantial services. The Kerala High Court dismissed petitions for a CBI probe into alleged bribery against both Vijayan and Veena, citing insufficient prima facie evidence. The Supreme Court subsequently rejected the related plea in October.
In the judiciary domain, the 2017 actress assault case in Kochi reached its conclusion. The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep of all charges, finding the prosecution had failed to establish criminal conspiracy. However, it convicted the first six accused—including principal defendant N. S. Sunil, better known as “Pulsar” Suni—for gang rapes and kidnappings. The court sentenced Suni and five others to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, labeling the assault a premeditated attack.
Another high‑profile judgment came in January when a Kerala court sentenced a postgraduate student, Greeshma, to death for the 2022 murder of her paramedical‑student lover, Sharon Raj, in Thiruvananthapuram district. The court held that Greeshma had administered a pesticide‑laden herbal concoction to Raj with premeditation, causing her death by multiple organ failure after 11 days of treatment. The judge described the crime as “calculated and extreme cruelty” and ruled it under the “rarest of rare” doctrine.
The political opposition, the Congress, faced its own crisis when Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was accused of sexual misconduct in November. Although the High Court granted him interim protection in December, the party suspended him from organisational duties.
Public health concerns resurfaced with 170 reported cases of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) in northern Kerala. The so‑called “brain‑eating amoeba” claimed 42 lives, leading the health department to issue stringent guidelines for freshwater use.
Maritime safety also attracted attention. In May, the MSC Elsa 3 capsized off the Kochi coast, raising fears of an oil spill. The following month, a fire broke out on the MV Wan Hai 503 cargo vessel near Kannur.
The state’s social fabric was strained in December when Ram Narayan, a migrant worker from Chhattisgarh, was lynched in Palakkad. The government announced ₹10 lakh in compensation for his family and charged 15 local residents.
Musician and hip‑hop artist Vedan (Hirandas Murali) faced multiple legal challenges in 2025, including several sexual‑assault allegations and a drug case. In August, the Kerala High Court granted him anticipatory bail after a doctor filed a rape complaint in July, alleging repeated assaults from August 2021 to March 2023, predicated on a promise of marriage. The artist was briefly detained in September but was released thereafter. Ernakulam Central Police also registered another case under IPC Section 354 (assault on modesty) in relation to harassment reported by a music researcher. Two additional women’s harassment complaints were filed in 2020—one under IPC 354 in August—following their appeal to the Chief Minister’s office.
In a year of upheaval, Kerala said goodbye to several towering personalities. Former Chief Minister and senior communist figure V.S. Achuthanandan (VS) passed away on July 21 at the age of 101, marking the end of an enduring political legacy. The arts community mourned the death of legendary playback singer P. Jayachandran in January, whose career encompassed more than 16,000 songs. The film industry also lost versatile actor‑screenwriter Sreenivasan on December 20, alongside actors Shanavas and Kalabhavan Navas.
With these losses and the electoral shifts, Kerala enters 2026 amidst deep transformations and a need for renewed leadership.
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