Sabarimala ghee row: Kerala HC orders Vigilance probe into alleged conspiracy in procurement from Milma
Division Bench reviews reports by Sabarimala Special Commissioner and Chief Vigilance and Security Officer of Travancore Devaswom in a suo motu proceeding initiated regarding alleged misappropriation of ghee supplied to Sabarimala
The Kerala High Court has mandated the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to establish a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged conspiracy surrounding the procurement of ghee for Sabarimala's Aravana ceremony in the 2025-26 pilgrimage season. This decision came as the court reviewed reports from the Sabarimala Special Commissioner R. Jayakrishnan and the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer of Travancore Devaswom.
The probe focuses on potential collusion between officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (Milma), which allegedly supplied substandard ghee. The court directed VACB to keep the investigation proceedings confidential from the media and public, with a deadline of September 3 for the team to submit a progress report.
The VACB's report highlighted that despite an e-tender process being initiated, the former Executive Officer, Murari Babu, who had passed away in June 2026, claimed that procuring ghee from Milma would result in lower usage and better quality. Consequently, the TDB approved the purchase of 165,000 liters of ghee from Milma at ₹510 per liter, bypassing the e-tender process.
Commissioner Jayakrishnan had contested this move, arguing that there was no empirical evidence supporting Milma's ghee's superior quality and that the Executive Officer's claims were based on assumptions rather than independent evaluations. However, despite these objections, the then TDB president, P.S. Prasanth, along with other members like Aji Kumar, proceeded with the purchase.
The report questioned the necessity for the additional 161,535 liters of ghee supplied by Milma, given that considerable quantities were already stored at Sannidhanam post a court directive enforcing stringent control over its usage. Furthermore, the report revealed potential inefficiencies, including irregularities in transport, receipt, accounting, and the fact that the board could have saved ₹2.27 crore by sticking to the successful bidder from the e-tender process.
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