Are Devaswom employees misappropriating funds at Sabarimala? Kerala High Court orders probe

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday observed that self-interested officers of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) seemed to be siphoning off funds from the Sabarimala temple. .Thus, a Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar ordered a Vigilance probe into the same.The Court was considering a suo motu case initiated based on a report filed by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner regarding criminal misappropriation of proceedings of “Adiya Sishtam Ghee” which is sold at various counters at Sabarimala temple. "It appears to us that certain employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board are more interested in siphoning off amounts rather than conscientiously rendering the service entrusted to them. The conduct disclosed gives rise to a disturbing inference that the predominant objective of such employees is personal gain, by one means or another, rather than the faithful discharge of their duties to the institution and the devotees", the Bench said in its order.The Bench also noted that it had come across similar instances previously and that it had deprecated the casual and indifferent manner in which employees of the Board handled revenue proceeds."We have reiterated that transparency and accountability, supported by robust technological safeguards, are no longer matters of administrative discretion, but statutory obligations which the Board is legally and morally bound to discharge. We have also reminded the Board that any continued failure to act can only lead to the inference that the higher echelons of the Board are either unwilling or complicit in permitting such systemic lapses to continue", the Court said. .It appears to us that certain employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board are more interested in siphoning off amounts rather than conscientiously rendering the service entrusted to them.Kerala High Court.Sabarimala gold theft case: Kerala High Court denies bail to three former Devaswom Board officials.The report filed by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner on the discrepanicies in revenue from ghee sales revealed that during the period from November 17 - December 26, 2025, the price of 13,679 packets, amounting to ₹13,67,900, had not been remitted. The vigilance inspection also revealed serious procedural lapses. In particular, it was noted that when the officer in charge of the counter was relieved and another person assumed charge, stock was not taken and the closing balance was not recorded in accordance with the prescribed procedure.The Court opined that the shortfall of such a large sum within such a limited time span cannot be brushed aside as an accounting error. The procedural failures, the Court said, created an environment conducive to such diversion of funds, misappropriation and with a view to make any subsequent accountability a difficult exercise."The very fact that such large-scale diversion of funds could occur within such a limited span of time clearly points to deep-rooted and systemic failures in supervision, stock control, verification mechanisms, and timely remittance of collections. 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 said.It, therefore, ordered the Director of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to register a crime and constitute a team of competent officers to conduct a probe. "The facts disclosed prima facie make out a clear case of criminal misappropriation, falsification of accounts/records, and other cognisable offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988", the Court said. The Court directed the investigating team to file a report within one month and directed them to refrain from disclosing any details of the investigation to the public or the media. .Enact special law to protect temple properties: Kerala High Court in Sabarimala gold theft case.[Read Order].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.