THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a case on the alleged irregularities in the sale of 'Adiya Sishtam Ghee', a sacred offering to the devotees.
S P Mahesh Kumar will monitor the team, while Pathanamthitta Vigilance DySP K B Manoj Kumar will be the investigating officer. Four Vigilance Inspectors will also be part of the team.
The Kerala High Court had earlier directed the Vigilance to probe the incident after the irregularities regarding the sale of ghee came to its attention via the report of the Sabarimala Special Commissioner.
Preliminary findings had revealed 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.
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 were 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, and holy ash.
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 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 of 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 had 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.
Spot booking for Sabarimala darshan open till Jan 19
Pathanamthitta: Spot booking counters for Sabarimala darshan will remain operational till January 19 as part of the annual pilgrim season, enabling devotees to have darshan, officials said. Spot booking facilities are available at Pampa, Nilakkal and Erumeli. Virtual queue booking will also continue till January 19.
Darshan of Lord Ayyappa adorned with the thiruvabharanam will be available till January 17, while neyyabhishekam will be performed till January 18. Up to January 18, a total of 50,000 devotees per day will be permitted entry through the virtual queue system, along with 5,000 devotees through spot booking. On January 19, 30,000 devotees will be allowed via the virtual queue and 5,000 through spot booking. The Mandala-Makaravilakku festival will conclude on January 20.