Another Scam at Sabarimala: ₹35 Lakh Irregularity in Sale of Adiya Sishtam Ghee
Kochi: Close on the heels of the exposure of a high-profile gold theft case, another major financial irregularity has surfaced at Sabarimala, this time involving the sale of Adiya Sishtam Ghee, a sacred offering sold to devotees.
Preliminary findings suggest that nearly ₹35 lakh was allegedly misappropriated in less than two months from the sale of the ghee, which is a significant revenue source for the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Acting on a report submitted by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, the Kerala High Court directed that a case be registered and ordered a Vigilance inquiry into the matter.
The court instructed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to constitute a team of competent and impartial officers to conduct a detailed investigation. According to disclosures made by the Board’s Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, sale proceeds from 16,628 packets of ghee sold at the counter in the Maramath Building were not credited to the Devaswom Board’s account.
The court noted that the Board had entrusted Preman, a resident of Anugraha Veedu in Palakkad, with the responsibility of packing Adiya Sishtam Ghee for sale at various counters. The contractor was paid ₹0.20 per packet for the service, while the Devaswom Board provided the ghee, packing machinery, materials, and other infrastructure.
As per the established procedure, ghee is stored in a 700-litre steel tank and filled into 100 ml packets using a motor-operated system. Each packet is sold to devotees at ₹100. The court observed that similar packing arrangements are followed for other temple offerings such as turmeric, kumkum, and holy ash.
An inspection revealed that between November 17 and December 26, 2025, the contractor packed 3,52,050 packets of 100 ml each, which were handed over to the Temple Special Officer for sale. During this period, around 89,300 packets were sold from the Maramath Building counter.
Of these, 143 packets were reported as damaged, while only 28 packets remained in stock at the counter as of December 27, 2025. After accounting for the damaged packets and remaining stock, the High Court observed that the sale proceeds for 89,129 packets should have been remitted to the Devaswom Board. However, official records showed that payments were made only for 75,450 packets.
This resulted in a shortfall of 13,679 packets, amounting to ₹13,67,900. The court described the scale of the discrepancy over such a short period as alarming and stated that it could not be dismissed as a mere accounting lapse.
The court also took note of serious allegations against Sunil Kumar Potti, who reportedly worked during the second, third, and fifth phases of the period under investigation. Further action will depend on the findings of the Vigilance inquiry ordered by the High Court.