A major political and legal battle is brewing in Kerala as former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has initiated a defamation lawsuit against the current Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan.
Legal representatives for Mr. Surendran, who is also a prominent CPI(M) State committee member, have issued a stern notice to Mr. Satheesan. The notice insists that Mr. Satheesan retract what are described as “slanderous comments” that purportedly connected Surendran to a controversial alleged theft of sacred Sabarimala temple artifacts, as well as their subsequent “replication and sale” to affluent private collectors.
The former Minister’s demands are clear: a public apology for the offensive statements, failing which Mr. Satheesan will face criminal prosecution. This legal action also seeks a hefty compensation of ₹2 crore for the alleged damage to Mr. Surendran’s reputation.
Mr. Satheesan’s contentious comments, which sparked this legal dispute, were made recently to the media just outside the Legislative Assembly premises.
These remarks followed a significant boycott of Assembly proceedings by United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition legislators, led by Mr. Satheesan. The boycott aimed to pressure for the resignation of both the incumbent Devaswom Minister, V.N. Vasavan, and the current Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, P.S. Prasanth, amidst an escalating controversy surrounding the reported theft of gold-plated copper coverings from the revered Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.
In response, Mr. Satheesan has stated his intention to vigorously challenge Mr. Surendran’s accusations, both in the political arena and through legal channels. He further highlighted that the Kerala High Court’s Division Bench had previously acknowledged the troubling possibility of certain temple artifacts being illicitly obtained by wealthy collectors for personal religious observances.