Ghee Scam After Sabarimala Gold Theft? Kerala High Court Orders Vigilance Probe Into INR 35 Lakh Misappropriation Linked to Sale of Adiya Sishtam Ghee
Kerala High Court orders a high-level vigilance probe into a ₹35 lakh financial fraud at Sabarimala temple involving “Adiya Sishtam Ghee” sales. Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K.V. Jayakumar directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate the revenue loss over 46 days.
Kochi, January 14: The Kerala High Court has ordered a high-level vigilance probe into a major financial fraud at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple involving the sale of "Adiya Sishtam Ghee." A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to investigate the disappearance of approximately ₹35 lakh in revenue within a span of just 46 days. The court characterized the incident as a "deep-rooted and systemic failure" by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the body responsible for managing the hill shrine.
The 'Adiya Sishtam' Ghee Fraud
"Adiya Sishtam Ghee" is a sacred offering consisting of ghee that remains after the Neyyabhishekam ritual. This ghee is packed into 100-ml containers and sold to pilgrims at a rate of ₹100 per packet. According to a special report submitted by the TDB’s Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, audits revealed that between November 11 and December 26, 2025, the sale proceeds for over 13,600 packets were never remitted to the Devaswom accounts. Sabarimala Gold Theft: ED Registers Case, SIT Takes ‘Tantri’ Kantaru Rajeevar Into Custody.
Furthermore, a physical inspection identified a shortage of an additional 22,565 packets from the inventory. The court noted that these discrepancies could not be dismissed as simple accounting errors, pointing instead to deliberate criminal misappropriation and falsification of records.
Breakdown of Oversight
The High Court expressed "shock and deep disturbance" over the scale of the diversion. The investigation revealed that:
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Standard procedures for handing over stock during shift changes were ignored.
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Daily records were maintained in a "careless and irregular" manner to facilitate the siphoning of funds.
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One employee, Sunil Kumar Potty, was suspended after failing to issue receipts to devotees and delaying the remittance of over ₹68,000.
The bench remarked that if such a large sum could be siphoned off from a single revenue stream in under two months, the total extent of misappropriation across other temple operations could be much higher.
Links to the Sabarimala Gold Theft Case
This latest scandal follows the high-profile "Sabarimala Gold Theft" investigation, which has already seen 11 arrests, including the temple's chief priest (Tantri) Kandararu Rajeevaru. That case centers on the alleged theft of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the sanctum sanctorum's door frames during replating works in 2019 and 2025. Investigators believe that several kilograms of gold were surreptitiously replaced with base metals or diverted by a syndicate involving TDB officials and private contractors. Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: Who Is Kandararu Rajeevaru? The Chief Priest of Lord Ayyappa Temple Arrested by SIT.
The court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently tracing the "money trail" and examining the role of senior administrative figures in what is being described as a premeditated design to loot temple assets.
Moving Forward
The VACB has been instructed to form a team of "upright and competent officers" to investigate the ghee scam. A progress report is due to the High Court within one month. The court has also suggested that the state government enact specialized laws with strict penal provisions to protect temple properties from such recurring administrative lapses.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 14, 2026 06:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).