Kerala High Court Orders Standardised Framework For Prasad Sales In Sabarimala Temple

The Court has also come down heavily on the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) over alleged large-scale financial irregularities in the sale of “Adiya Sishtam Ghee” at Sabarimala, terming the existing accounting practices wholly unacceptable” and symptomatic of deep-rooted systemic deficiencies.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar passed the order in a suo motu proceedings on the basis of a report submitted by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner regarding misappropriation at the Ghee Sale Counter at Sannidhanam.

The Court had earlier directed the Director of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to conduct a comprehensive probe into the alleged misappropriation by employees of the TDB in connection with the sale of Adiya Sishtam Ghee during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season.

The Vigilance case has been since registered under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. As many as 33 persons, including Temple Special Officers and around 30 counter staff, have been arrayed as accused.

Although the Special Investigation Team (SIT) sought three months to complete the probe, the Bench directed that the investigation be concluded within 45 days.

Audit findings placed before the Court point to a quantified short remittance of ₹21,39,190 in the sale proceeds of Adiya Sishtam Neyy. The Court noted that these irregularities, coupled with procedural lapses, prima facie indicate financial misappropriation.

The Bench observed that the anomalies were not isolated incidents but reflected serious deficiencies in procedure, supervision, stock accounting, and financial control.

“The materials placed before this Court, coupled with the investigation conducted thus far, disclose several disturbing and disquieting features. These are not isolated irregularities but point to systemic deficiencies in procedure, supervision, stock accounting, and financial control.” Court noted.

The Court expressed shock at the manner in which records were maintained.

The ghee, donated by devotees, is stored in tanks and pumped to a packing unit where it is filled into 100 ml pouches by a contractor paid ₹0.20 per packet. The packets are then handed over to Temple Special Officers and distributed to designated counters.

The Court noted the absence of physical stock verification at critical stages. Records of packet issuance were found to be maintained in ordinary “school-series notebooks”, riddled with overwritings, corrections, and minimal page usage.

“Even a person running a modest petty shop would be expected to maintain far better accounting discipline to ensure that income and stock are properly reconciled. The situation revealed before us is, therefore, wholly unacceptable.” the court remarked.

The Bench directed the Board to establish a comprehensive, transparent, and accountable framework governing all prasadam sales, including Appam, Aravana, Adiya Sishtam Ghee, Vibhoothi, and Kumkum.

The High Court ordered the implementation of a standardized, end-to-end procedure covering quantification of daily and seasonal offerings; procurement and accounting of raw materials; manufacturing supervision and quality control; storage, transportation, and counter-wise distribution; ticketing, cash handling, and digital recording mechanisms; accounting, reconciliation, and remittance systems.

The Court emphasized the need for professional and technical assistance, noting that the Board presently lacks the institutional capacity and systemic machinery to independently rectify its processes.

The Travancore Devaswom Board has been directed to file a detailed action plan with a clear, time-bound compliance schedule. The matter has been posted for further consideration on February 27.

Case Title: Suo Motu v State of Kerala and Ors.

Case No: SSCR 3/ 2026

Counsel for Respondent: S Rajmohan (Sr. GP), A Rajesh (Spl. PP), Rekhs A (Sr. PP)

Amicus Curiae: Sayujya Radhakrishnan