The Kerala High Court on Tuesday cited the need for a comprehensive Vigilance probe to ascertain the extent of the alleged misappropriation of funds by Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) employees at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam with regard to the sale of ‘Adiya Sishtam Ghee.’
A Bench of Justice V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice K.V. Jayakumar went on to implead the Director, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, as an additional respondent in the suo motu case.
It was reported earlier this month that over 16,000 packets of the ghee valued at ₹16 lakh, handed over to distribution counters at the hill temple, were missing.
The court observed that the magnitude of short remittance, within a limited window of time, was alarming and cannot be brushed aside as an accounting lapse. “In particular, when the officer in charge of the counter is relieved and another person assumes charge, stock is not taken and the closing balance is not recorded in accordance with the prescribed procedure. It creates an environment conducive to such diversion and misappropriation of funds.”
The facts disclosed prima facie make out a clear case of criminal misappropriation, falsification of accounts/records and other cognisable offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
There are also serious allegations against one Sunil Kumar Potty, who failed to issue receipts for the sale of ghee to devotees. It had been revealed that ₹68,200 received from sales was not remitted to the board, and that only after directives were issued it was remitted by the said employee.
If the siphoning of amounts for a short period of just under two months, confined only to the sale of “Adiya Sishtam Ghee” is to the tune of ₹35 lakh since the beginning of the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season, it is difficult to even imagine the magnitude of misappropriation that may have occurred over a longer period, and across other revenue streams, the court said.
Published – January 13, 2026 08:51 pm IST
