Kerala VACB books former TDB officials in ₹2.27 crore Sabarimala ghee case
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against former officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in connection with alleged corruption and irregularities in the procurement of ghee for the Sabarimala temple during the 2025–2026 Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.
The FIR, filed on August 6, 2026, by the VACB Southern Range in Thiruvananthapuram, names former TDB president Prasanth P.S., board member Aji Kumar, and late former Executive Officer Murari Babu, along with unidentified others. The case was registered following directions from the High Court of Kerala after a preliminary vigilance inquiry by the TDB revealed alleged procedural violations that caused a financial loss of ₹2,27,76,435 to the board.
According to the FIR, the accused bypassed mandatory tender procedures and food safety norms to award the supply contract to Milma, the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, at an inflated rate of ₹510 per litre. Qualified lower bidders were systematically excluded, despite Milma not having participated in the original tender process.
To justify the selection of Milma, the former executive officer submitted an unscientific report claiming that seven litres of Milma ghee could replace the standard ten litres required per batch of Aravana prasadam. This was done overruling explicit objections raised by the Devaswom Commissioner.
The investigation further revealed that over 1.61 lakh litres of ghee were purchased from Milma and utilised for Aravana production without proper quality testing by food safety officers or adequate documentation. The report also noted that ghee offered by devotees was mixed into production, raising suspicions of misappropriation.
The VACB has booked the accused under Sections 7, 13(1)(a), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, along with criminal conspiracy and breach of trust provisions under Sections 61(2) and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
This development marks a significant step in the legal scrutiny of the management of the Sabarimala temple, one of the largest pilgrimage centres in India. The accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the case will proceed through the due process of law.
