A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been established by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to investigate alleged financial irregularities related to the sale of "Adiya Sishtam Ghee" at the Sabarimala temple. This action follows strong directives from the Kerala High Court earlier this week. Superintendent of Police Mahesh Kumar will lead the SIT.
The High Court's intervention stemmed from a suo motu case based on a report submitted by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, highlighting concerns about potential criminal misappropriation of funds from ghee sales at the temple counters. A Division Bench, consisting of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar, expressed serious concerns about the possible diversion of temple revenue and came down heavily on certain officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). The court noted that some employees seemed more interested in personal gain than safeguarding the institution's and devotees' interests and also pointed out that such lapses were not isolated incidents.
The court emphasized the necessity for transparency, accountability, and the use of technology in financial management. The judges cautioned that continued negligence could lead to the conclusion that senior officials were either indifferent or complicit in allowing these irregularities to persist.
The SIT will conduct a detailed investigation of financial records, sales data, stock registers, and the roles of the involved officials. The High Court will supervise the investigation.
A preliminary verification by the Vigilance department revealed suspected irregularities totaling Rs. 36.24 lakh. Approximately Rs. 13 lakh of this amount was linked to the sale of 13,679 packets of Adiya Sishtam Ghee, where the proceeds were allegedly not deposited into the Devaswom Board's account. The Board had previously suspended Sunil Kumar Potti, the official in charge of supervising ghee sales, after an internal inquiry revealed lapses.
The alleged fraud occurred between November 17, 2025, and January 2, 2026, during which over 35,000 ghee packets were sold without proper accounting, resulting in a misappropriation of over Rs 35 lakh. The High Court Devaswom Bench termed the scale of the irregularity as shocking and ordered a vigilance probe based on reports submitted by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner and Devaswom Vigilance. The probe will be carried out under the Prevention of Corruption Act and will be under the supervision of the High Court. The Vigilance team has been asked to submit a progress report within one month, while the final report can be filed only with the permission of the High Court.
The irregularities were detected in the sale of ghee from counters, including one located in the maintenance building at the Sannidhanam. Between November 17 and December 26, the sale proceeds of 13,679 ghee packets were not remitted to the Devaswom Board. From December 27 to January 2, the amount for another 22,565 packets was also not accounted for.
The court observed that employees taking over counter duty often failed to record the remaining stock properly and entries were not made according to rules, leading the court to suspect that the lapses were aimed at misappropriating funds.
This investigation comes at a sensitive time for the Sabarimala temple, which is already facing scrutiny due to a recent gold theft case. These developments have heightened concerns about financial controls and internal monitoring at Sabarimala, one of India's most revered pilgrimage centers.
