Keralam's Devaswom Minister says temple officials must have been in on the Sabarimala ghee diversion, as TDB sets a 10 November deadline for pilgrimage works
The minister's charge widens the probe beyond the one transport contractor arrested so far, three weeks before the Mandala season opens.
- The Hindu
- The Hindu
Keralam Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan on Sunday alleged that officials of the Devaswom were involved in the diversion of ghee meant for the Sabarimala temple, The Hindu reported. "There has been one arrest in the case.
The investigation will continue as it would not have happened without the involvement of certain Devaswom officials," the minister told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, without naming anyone. He said the government was watching the case closely and getting full cooperation from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau's special investigation unit recently arrested transport contractor S.S. Binu, who officials say diverted 11,000 litres of Milma ghee meant for the 2025 pilgrimage season and replaced it with a cheaper product. The VACB alleges the original ghee went to two agencies in Tamil Nadu, and officials put the loss to the TDB at ₹2.5 crore.
According to the VACB, the board had bought the ghee for aravaṇa from the Pathanamthitta Milma dairy without inviting quotations, and then gave Binu the transport contract. The probe follows a Kerala High Court directive on irregularities in the procurement and quality of ghee supplied to the temple.
Separately, TDB president K. Jayakumar set 10 November as the deadline to finish major works at Nilackal, Pampa and the Sannidhānam, and said there was no need for concern. Official sources told The Hindu that procedural delays and persistent rain are slowing work, with the Chalakkayam-Pampa road, the main access to Pampa, a particular worry.
Jayakumar said all 21 parking lots at Nilackal will get AI-enabled cameras paid for from police funds, and eateries in Pathanamthitta must display the Collector's price lists in several languages this season.
Key data
11,000 litres of ghee allegedly diverted; estimated loss ₹2.5 crore to the TDB; 1 arrest so far. Works deadline 10 Nov 2026; 21 parking lots at Nilackal to get AI-enabled cameras.
Why it matters
The ghee goes into the aravaṇa prasādam taken home by lakhs of Ayyappa devotees, so a charge that insiders helped divert it goes to the heart of trust in how the State-run board handles offerings. With works lagging, the board has little time to show pilgrims both clean prasādam and a safe route.
GK: did you know?
The Travancore Devaswom Board was constituted under the Travancore-Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act, 1950, and today administers more than 1,200 temples, Sabarimala among them.
