India

Kerala HC Orders Travancore Devaswom Board to Implement Scientific Tracking for Ghee Sales

By PTI

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has informed the Kerala High Court that it will introduce scientific and technological measures to improve transparency, accountability and financial discipline in the sale and distribution of ‘Adiya Sishtam Ghee’, a sacred offering of the Sabarimala temple. A bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar said the system is essential to ensure that the entire quantity of ghee is properly accounted for. The court expressed satisfaction with the measures taken by the TDB, stating that they will address major deficiencies in the existing mechanism and are intended to strengthen transparency, accountability and financial discipline in the sale and distribution of Adiya Sishtam Ghee. It directed the Board to implement the measures strictly and in their entirety. The Board must put in place necessary technological and administrative arrangements, hold officers and employees fully accountable for their duties, and complete the exercise before the 2026‑27 pilgrimage season. The court also required that the systems be subjected to regular monitoring and verification to prevent recurrence of similar incidents. The TDB’s decision to introduce scientific measurement systems, digital monitoring, computerised stock management and individual transaction tracking was appreciated. The Board will use a scientific system to measure the quantity of ghee in storage tanks, accurately ascertain stock at any time, account for every transaction, and reconcile received, stored and distributed ghee with sale proceeds. Digital flow meters will be installed in pipelines to determine the precise quantity of ghee flowing to packing machines. Income and expenditure registers, stock registers and other records will be maintained strictly according to prescribed procedures. Frequent physical verification of stock is planned, and any loss, wastage or damage will be quantified and recorded in relevant registers to avoid unexplained discrepancies. Steel storage tanks and vessels used for drawing ghee will be calibrated for accurate measurement, and CCTV cameras will be installed at all counters for continuous monitoring and to prevent unauthorised activities. Shift change timings and stock transfers between employees will be recorded in registers; the entire process of preparation, storage, accounting and distribution will be computerised, with transaction tracking mechanisms and individual login credentials for all employees. The court had earlier ordered a probe into a loss of over ₹17 lakh to the TDB due to alleged misappropriation in the sale of ghee at Sannidhanam between 17 November 2025 and 27 December 2025. The petition was initiated after a report by the TDB’s Chief Vigilance and Security Officer noted that proceeds from 16,628 packets of ghee sold at the shrine had not been remitted to the Devaswom account. The court later expressed dissatisfaction with the Vigilance and Anti‑Corruption Bureau report, observing that the findings “appear to minimise the significance” of the loss. It directed the appointment of a Superintendent of Police‑rank officer of the VACB to reassess whether a corruption case should be registered over the alleged misappropriation by TDB employees. The investigation is ongoing.