Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 31 (PTI) Kerala Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan on Friday said the police Crime Branch would investigate the alleged irregularities in the supply of ghee to the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple, based on findings in a report submitted by the Devaswom Secretary.
In a statement, the minister said the report contained “shocking findings” and that the Home Department would be requested to entrust the probe to the Crime Branch.
“The investigation should be completed in a time-bound manner, and those responsible should be brought to justice,” he said.
Muraleedharan termed the alleged lapses in the supply of ghee to Sabarimala as “criminal negligence” and said those responsible would face legal action.
He said the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had entered into an agreement with state-run Milma for the supply of 1.65 lakh litres of ghee during the 2025-26 pilgrimage season.
Milma supplied 1.5 lakh litres, while the remaining quantity was not delivered, he said.
The minister said the ghee reached Sabarimala in 30 batches of 5,000 litres each, but only six batches could be tested and all were found to be substandard.
“This is not merely a case of food adulteration. It amounts to deceiving, exploiting and betraying the faith of devotees,” he said.
Muraleedharan said the investigation should determine whether the alleged irregularities occurred before the ghee reached Sabarimala or after its arrival.
He said the government would ensure that such incidents do not recur.
As part of the corrective measures, quality testing of ghee used at Sabarimala would henceforth be carried out batch-wise, he said.
If ghee is procured from outside agencies, the entire supply chain from the manufacturing unit to Sabarimala would be digitally tracked, including maintaining a digital movement register, the minister added.
Earlier, TDB president K Jayakumar denied any role of the board in the alleged irregularities in the supply of ghee to the Sabarimala temple during the 2025 pilgrimage season and said the Board had, even before the controversy surfaced, decided not to procure ghee from outside for this year’s pilgrimage.
Speaking to reporters here, Jayakumar said neither he nor the Board had received any complaint regarding the quality of the ghee supplied by Milma during the previous pilgrimage season until the issue surfaced in the media.
“Even before these allegations came up, while finalising purchases for this year’s Aravana production and other requirements, we had taken a firm decision not to procure ghee from outside. It was not because of this controversy. We felt there was no need to purchase ghee when sufficient quantities brought by devotees were available at Sabarimala. Looking back, we feel it was a good decision,” he said.
Jayakumar said all consignments of ghee supplied by Milma during the previous season were cleared only after samples were tested by the Food Safety Department’s laboratory at Sabarimala.
“Only sample testing is possible. The entire quantity cannot be tested. Every batch was cleared after laboratory examination and no complaint regarding its quality was raised at that time,” he said.
Asked about allegations that Milma’s own inquiry had found that original ghee was diverted and inferior-quality ghee supplied instead, Jayakumar said the Board was not responsible for the contractor engaged by Milma.
“If there was any lapse in the supply chain, that is a matter being investigated by the government and other agencies. If poor-quality ghee had reached us, it is unfortunate. But the entire quantity has already been used for Aravana preparation, lighting lamps and other temple purposes. There is no ghee left now,” he said.
Rejecting suggestions that the TDB had failed in its responsibilities, Jayakumar said the Board had entrusted procurement to Milma and ensured that the ghee was subjected to laboratory testing before being accepted.
“What lapse has occurred on the Board’s part. We entrusted the supply to Milma, samples were tested in the laboratory and only then the ghee was taken to the hill shrine. We came to know of these allegations only now,” he said.
Jayakumar said the Board had already introduced stricter procedures after earlier irregularities involving the sale of Aadiyashishtam ghee (sacred offering by pilgrims).
He also said the Board would examine whether any internal irregularities had occurred and take an appropriate decision after discussions.
Expressing confidence that no outside procurement would be required this season, Jayakumar said the ghee brought by devotees would be sufficient for preparing Aravana and other temple requirements.
“There is enough ghee brought by devotees. In fact, that is what should always be used. We do not foresee any shortage,” he said. PTI TBA TBA SA
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.