The Kerala High Court has directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to launch a criminal investigation into a major embezzlement scandal at the Sabarimala temple involving the misappropriation of approximately Rs 35 lakh.
A division bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K.V. Jayakumar issued the order on January 13, 2026, after a special report revealed that proceeds from thousands of packets of “Adiya Sishtam Ghee”, a sacred offering, were never remitted to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) accounts.
The court described the fraud, which occurred within a short span of two months, as a “deep-rooted and systemic failure” rather than a mere clerical error.
A team of “upright and competent officers” has been mandated to register a case and submit a progress report within one month, with the TDB already suspending one counter employee, Sunil Kumar Potty, in connection with the discrepancies.
Shocking Discrepancies
The controversy first surfaced following a routine audit by the TDB Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, which flagged alarming gaps in the accounting of ghee sales during the peak pilgrimage season.
Between November 11 and December 26, 2025, a total of 89,129 packets were sold, but funds for 13,679 packets, amounting to over Rs 13.67 lakh, were missing from the official records. Further physical stock verification revealed a massive shortage of an additional 22,565 packets, representing a further revenue loss of roughly Rs 22.65 lakh.
The court noted that records were maintained in a “careless and irregular manner,” suggesting a calculated move to facilitate the siphoning of funds. This lack of a proper handing-over process created an environment ripe for corruption.
Judicial Indictment
During the proceedings, the bench expressed deep disturbance at the magnitude of the theft, questioning how such large-scale diversion could happen without the knowledge of senior officials. One specific instance involved an employee failing to issue receipts to devotees and delaying the remittance of collections by 17 days.
“It is inconceivable that siphoning of such magnitude could have been carried out without the knowledge, acquiescence, or at least wilful blindness of persons occupying positions at the higher rungs of the administrative hierarchy,” the court remarked.
The justices emphasized that certain employees appeared more interested in personal gain than in faithfully serving the deity and the devotees. Consequently, the court has taken over supervision of the probe to ensure a thorough investigation.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that the administration of religious institutions must be held to the highest standards of transparency and ethics. The alleged misappropriation at Sabarimala is not merely a financial crime; it is a profound betrayal of the millions of pilgrims whose faith and hard-earned contributions sustain the temple.
When those entrusted with protecting sacred offerings exploit them for personal profit, it wounds the religious sentiments of the community and erodes public trust.
We advocate for stringent institutional reforms, including digital tracking of all sales and independent oversight, to ensure that the sanctity of such institutions is never compromised by greed. Accountability must reach the “big guns” to prevent such systemic failures from recurring.
