The Kerala High Court has directed authorities to investigate alleged fund misappropriation by Travancore Devaswom Board employees in the sale of sacred ghee at Sabarimala temple. This comes amid an ongoing gold theft scandal at the shrine. The court emphasized the alarming scale of the issue and the need for strict accountability.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala temple, is facing fresh scrutiny over the sale of 'Adiya Sishtam Ghee', a sacred offering to devotees. On January 14, 2026, a bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar ordered the state Vigilance Director to assemble a team and register a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The directive aims to uncover the full scope of funds allegedly siphoned by TDB staff from ghee sales.
The ghee, priced at Rs 100 for a 100-ml packet, generates significant revenue for the board, with lakhs of packets sold during pilgrimage seasons. Investigations by the Temple Vigilance Officer revealed discrepancies in remittances over a period from November 17, 2025, spanning less than two months. The shortfall amounted to approximately Rs 35 lakh, raising concerns about broader irregularities.
The court remarked that such a sum in a short timeframe 'is alarming and cannot be brushed aside as an accounting lapse.' It further noted that the scale of misappropriation likely involved complicity from higher administrative levels, describing it as a 'grave dereliction of duty' for failing to implement basic safeguards. Officers at the top hold a fiduciary responsibility to protect temple revenues, the judges stressed.
To ensure confidentiality, the court instructed that probe details remain undisclosed to the media, with the team reporting solely to the judiciary. This development compounds the pressure on TDB, already embroiled in a separate gold theft case.