President Droupadi Murmu to visit Sabarimala temple on October 22

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 6 (ANI): President Droupadi Murmu is set to visit Sabarimala temple on October 22, on the concluding day of the Thulamasa Pooja.
The president is set to be in Kerala for a two-day visit, till October 24, and attend various programmes in Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam areas during that time.
The doors of Sabarimala reopened for Thulamasa Pooja on October 17 for the monthly prayers, according to Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple. The doors are set to close on October 22 and will reopen again in November for Sree Chithira Attathirunnal.
Earlier, amid allegations of theft of gold-plated copper plates kept at Sabarimala's Dwarapalaka idols, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Vigilance recorded the statement of Unnikrishnan Potty, a former helper and the sponsor of gold-plating works at the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, for the second consecutive day.
Unnikrishnan Potty was questioned for nearly three hours at the TDB Vigilance headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. After the session, he left the premises without responding clearly to the media's questions. When pressed, Potty remarked, "Don't I have freedom as an individual? Everything will be proven before the High Court. Don't I have the right to move freely? The truth will prevail."
The ongoing inquiry stems from allegations that several gold-plated panels removed from the temple in 2019 and 2025 for restoration at workshops in Hyderabad and Chennai were mishandled, with discrepancies reported in their weight and gold content.
TDB President P.S. Prasanth confirmed that the Board, in consultation with Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan, will seek the Kerala High Court's permission for a comprehensive investigation.
"I met with the Devaswom Minister yesterday, and both the Minister and the Board have decided to request the court for a thorough probe, covering everything from Vijay Mallya's gold plating in 1998 up to the events of 2025. This will include the shortfall in gold, doubts related to the gold, and all related controversies," Prasanth told ANI.
The controversy reignited after the Kerala High Court ordered the immediate return of the gold-plated panels taken for repairs and criticised the TDB for violating procedural norms by not informing the court-appointed Sabarimala Special Commissioner.
Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have announced state-wide agitations from Monday demanding a High Court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities. (ANI)