Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 27 (NationPress) Kerala experienced a tumultuous year in 2025, characterized by significant political unrest, pivotal legal decisions, and maritime incidents. The year was dominated by the shocking Sabarimala temple gold heist and a considerable transformation in the state's local governance structure. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) encountered its most serious electoral defeat in a decade, while the judiciary issued groundbreaking rulings, notably in the actress rape case that captured nationwide attention.

The purported theft of multiple kilograms of gold, alongside the mysterious disappearance of other valuables from the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple, became the focal point of the year. This gold, part of the idol adornments donated by UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya in 1998-99, triggered a high-level investigation following an intervention by the Kerala High Court in October, placing the ruling LDF government in a precarious position.

The investigation resulted in the arrests of N. Vasu and A. Padmakumar, both former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board and senior members of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. Their arrests validated the Opposition's claims that temple administration was exploited for personal gain by those in power, leading to calls for a CBI investigation into the broader conspiracy.

So far, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has made nine arrests in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case, including Vasu and Padmakumar. In December, the SIT apprehended two primary suspects—Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Smart Creations, and Govardhanan, a jeweler from Bellary—bringing the total number of arrests to nine. This action was a response to sharp criticism from the Kerala High Court regarding delays and shortcomings in the investigation. Previously, over 800 grams of gold had been retrieved from Govardhanan's jewelry shop.

Earlier arrests included former officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board, such as administrative officer S. Sreekumar, Unnikrishnan Potty, the main accused, Murari Babu, and Sudheesh Kumar.

This Sabarimala scandal, combined with ongoing inflation and a fragile state treasury, had a significant impact on the local body elections held in November. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) achieved a landslide victory, claiming 504 gram panchayats, four out of six corporations, including Kochi, and six out of 14 district panchayats. In a historic turn of events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, breaking decades of LDF rule in the state capital.

In April 2025, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter, Veena Vijayan, was implicated in a chargesheet by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) regarding the alleged receipt of Rs 1.72 crore by her Bengaluru-based company, Exalogic Solutions, from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) without providing any significant services. Fortunately for the CM, the Kerala High Court dismissed requests for a CBI probe into bribery allegations against Vijayan and Veena in April, citing a lack of sufficient prima facie evidence. The Supreme Court also rejected a related plea in October.

The judiciary was further highlighted by the conclusion of the 2017 actress assault case in Kochi. The Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court acquitted Malayalam actor Dileep of all charges, attributing the prosecution's failure to establish a criminal conspiracy. Nonetheless, the court convicted the first six accused, including prime suspect N.S. Sunil, alias 'Pulsar Suni', for gang rape and kidnapping. They were sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, with the court labeling the assault as a premeditated act.

In another high-profile case that garnered national attention, a Kerala court sentenced postgraduate student Greeshma to death in January for the 2022 murder of her lover, Sharon Raj, a paramedical student, in Thiruvananthapuram. The court found that she had administered a pesticide-laced herbal concoction to the victim in a premeditated effort to kill him. Raj succumbed to multiple organ failure after 11 days of treatment. The court categorized the crime as one of calculated and extreme cruelty, falling under the “rarest of rare” doctrine.

The Opposition Congress, aiming to regain its footing in the state after assembly poll defeats in 2016 and 2021, faced a significant challenge when its 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 his organizational responsibilities.

Public health emerged as a pressing issue, with the state reporting 170 cases of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) in northern Kerala. This “brain-eating amoeba” led to 42 fatalities, prompting the health department to implement stringent guidelines for freshwater usage.

Maritime safety was also scrutinized following two major incidents. In May, the MSC Elsa 3 capsized off the Kochi coast, raising environmental alarms over possible oil spills. This was succeeded by a fire on the MV Wan Hai 503 cargo ship off the Kannur coast in June.

The cultural landscape of the state was disturbed 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 charged 15 local residents.

Rapper Vedan (Hirandas Murali), a Malayalam hip-hop artist, faced multiple legal challenges in Kerala, mainly involving sexual assault allegations, alongside a drug case. A doctor lodged a rape complaint against Vedan in July 2025 with the Thrikkakara police in Kochi, asserting repeated assaults from August 2021 to March 2023 under false promises of marriage. Vedan was granted anticipatory bail by the Kerala High Court in August and was briefly detained in September before being released.

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

The year ended on a somber 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, marking the end of an era in Indian politics.

The arts community mourned the loss of legendary playback singer P. Jayachandran in January, whose career included over 16,000 songs. The film industry also grieved the passing of versatile actor and screenwriter Sreenivasan, who died on December 20, alongside actors Shanavas and Kalabhavan Navas.

These losses, along with the shifting political landscape, position Kerala at a critical juncture as it enters 2026.