KOCHI: Close on the heels of the sensational gold theft case, another major financial irregularity has now been unearthed - this time in the sale of Adiya Sishtam Ghee, a sacred offering to devotees.
Preliminary findings reveal that within a short span of less than two months, an amount of approximately Rs 35 lakh was siphoned off exclusively from the sale of Adiya Sishtam Ghee. The proceeds from this offering form a crucial part of the Travancore Devaswom Board’s revenue. Considering the report of the Sabarimala Special Commissioner, the Kerala High Court ordered a Vigilance probe after registering a case.
The court directed the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau to constitute a team of upright and competent officers to probe the case. The chief vigilance and security officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board disclosed that the sale proceeds of 16,628 packets of ghee sold from the counter situated in the Maramath Building was not remitted to the devaswom account.
The court pointed out that the Board had entrusted Preman, of Anugraha Veedu, Palakkad, with the task of filling “Adiya Sishtam Ghee” into packets for sale at various counters. The contractor is paid at the rate of Rs 0.20 per packet for the assigned work. Significantly, the entire infrastructure for packing, which includes the packing machine, packing materials, and the ghee itself, is provided by the Devaswom Board.
There is a steel tank with a capacity of 700 litres into which ghee is filled using a motor. It is the duty of the contractor to fill each packet with 100 millilitres of ghee, which is thereafter sold to devotees at the counters for a sum of Rs 100 per packet. Similar packing arrangements are stated to exist for other articles of sale such as turmeric, kumkum, holy ash etc.
The inspection revealed that during the period from November 17, 2025, to December 26, 2025, the contractor had packed 3,52,050 packets of 100 ml each, and those packets were entrusted to the Temple Special Officer for the purpose of sale. Out of the 3,52,050 packets, about 89,300 packets were sold from the counter in the Maramath Building on various days.
Out of the 89,300 packets, 143 packets were found damaged, and the total number of packets remaining in the counter as on December 27, 2025, was only 28. After deducting the damaged packets and the balance packets remaining in the counter, the sale proceeds corresponding to 89,129 packets ought to have been remitted to the Devaswom Board. However, the employees in charge of the counter deposited money only in respect of 75,450 packets.
The records thus reveal that the price of 13,679 packets, amounting to Rs 13,67,900, has not been remitted. The court observed that the magnitude of the short remittance, within a limited window of time, is alarming and cannot be brushed aside as an accounting lapse.
The court also said that there are also serious allegations against Sunil Kumar Potti, who is stated to have worked during the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th phases.