Kerala HC orders Vigilance probe into alleged irregularities in Milma ghee procurement at Sabarimala
Pathanamthitta: The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged conspiracy involving officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the suspected supply of substandard ghee by Milma for the preparation of Aravana prasadam during the 2025–26 Sabarimala pilgrimage season.
The Division Bench of V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar issued the direction while considering reports submitted by Sabarimala Special Commissioner R. Jayakrishnan and the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board in a suo motu case related to the alleged misappropriation of ghee supplied to Sabarimala.
The court directed the VACB to register a case based on the Vigilance Officer's report and form an SIT to carry out the investigation. The Bench also instructed the investigation team not to disclose details of the probe to the media or the public and to submit a progress report before the court by September 3.
According to the Vigilance Officer's report, although the Devaswom Board had initiated an e-tender process for procuring ghee, the then Executive Officer, Murari Babu, who passed away in June 2026, recommended that Milma ghee be used instead. He reportedly claimed that Milma ghee would require a lower quantity for preparing Aravana while producing better-quality prasadam. He also argued that, as a State-owned cooperative, Milma should be given preference for supplying ghee to Sabarimala.
Based on these recommendations, the Board approved the purchase of 1,65,000 litres of ghee from Milma at ₹510 per litre, abandoning the ongoing e-tender process.
However, the report stated that the Commissioner had opposed the proposal, noting that there was no scientific study to support the claim that Milma ghee was superior or that it would reduce ghee consumption. The Commissioner reportedly observed that these claims were based only on assumptions and lacked any independent evaluation.
Despite these objections, the report said the then TDB President P. S. Prasanth and former Board member Aji Kumar proceeded with the purchase.
The Vigilance report also raised doubts over whether the entire quantity of 1,61,535 litres of ghee allegedly supplied by Milma actually reached Sannidhanam. It further questioned the need for purchasing additional ghee, stating that substantial quantities had already accumulated at Sannidhanam after the High Court had directed stricter control over the use of ghee for temple rituals.
The report further estimated that the Travancore Devaswom Board could have saved approximately ₹2.27 crore had it proceeded with the lowest successful bidder through the e-tender process. It also highlighted several discrepancies in the transportation, receipt, and accounting of the ghee supplied for Sabarimala.