Sabarimala Ghee Scam: Vigilance Books 33, Loss Estimated at ₹36 Lakh
Pathanamthitta: In a major case related to the alleged illegal sale of Adiya Sishtam ghee at the Sabarimala temple, the Vigilance Wing of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has registered a case against 33 employees. Those booked include staff who worked at the ghee distribution counters and an Assistant Devaswom Commissioner.
According to the FIR filed before the Kollam Vigilance Court, financial irregularities worth ₹36.24 lakh were found. This includes ₹13.67 lakh from ghee sales that was not handed over to the Devaswom Board, along with large-scale manipulation of ghee stock.
During the Mandalam season, a total of 89,300 packets of Adiya Sishtam ghee were supplied to the counters. Out of these, 143 packets were damaged. The remaining packets should have brought in ₹89.12 lakh. However, an audit on December 27 showed that only ₹75.45 lakh was actually remitted, meaning money from 13,679 packets was misappropriated.
Vigilance officials also found that 22,565 packets of ghee, worth ₹22.56 lakh, went missing while under the custody of special officers. After the Mandala Pooja, when the temple closed on December 27, 28,550 packets were stored in the godown. But during a check on January 2, only 5,985 packets were found.
Three TDB special officers—S R Santhosh Kumar, K Sainuraj, and M T Aneesh—who were responsible for stock management have been booked. Santhosh Kumar is the Neyyattinkara Sub Group Officer, Sainuraj is the Mundakkayam Administrative Officer, and Aneesh is a Second Grade Overseer from Muvattupuzha.
It was also found that Sunil Kumar Potti, who helped distribute the ghee, kept ₹68,200 from sales for 17 days without depositing it with the Devaswom Board. He has been listed as the 13th accused.
All the accused's are working in different temples under the Travancore Devaswom Board. The investigation is ongoing.