The Kerala High Court's Devaswom Bench is set to take up the Sabarimala gold heist case on Monday, with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) expected to place its final progress report before the court.

The SIT is likely to present the findings of scientific tests conducted on gold plates at a laboratory in Jamshedpur. The probe into the alleged theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple has been ongoing for nearly seven months.

The court will also hear the State government's plea seeking cancellation of the bail granted to the temple's chief priest. The matter is being considered by a bench led by Justice A. Badharudeen. The proceedings have drawn significant attention, particularly as the newly elected UDF government is expected to spell out its position on the case.

Earlier this month, the High Court agreed to hear detailed arguments on the government's appeal. At the time, it observed that certain remarks made by the Vigilance Court during the pendency of the investigation were unnecessary. However, the High Court clarified that both the observations and the order granting bail could still be examined on their merits.

All the accused in the case are presently out on bail. Former Travancore Devaswom Board member K.P. Sankaradas was among those granted bail after the SIT failed to file chargesheets within the statutory period. He was the last accused in judicial custody in the case.

The High Court had earlier directed the SIT to investigate the alleged irregularities in four stages. These relate to the gold-plating work undertaken by the UB Group in 1998, the removal and gold-plating of the sanctum doorway panels in 2019, the gold-plating of the Dwarapalaka idols, and the re-gold-plating of the idols in 2025.

According to the SIT, the case concerning the Dwarapalaka idols involves 15 accused, while the case relating to the sanctum doorway panels has 12 accused.

Meanwhile, Hindu Aikya Vedi State President R.V. Babu has criticised what he described as the UDF government's silence on the issue. He alleged that the coalition had highlighted the Sabarimala gold theft issue before the elections but had remained silent after assuming office.

Responding to such concerns, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala recently stated during the launch of an anti-corruption campaign that no person involved in the alleged theft of gold belonging to Lord Ayyappa would be spared.