Scientific, tech measures to be introduced to strengthen transparency in ghee sale: TDB to Kerala HC

Kochi, The TDB has told the Kerala High Court that it will introduce scientific and technological measures to strengthen 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 that such a system was essential to ensure that the entire quantity of ghee is properly accounted for.

The court expressed satisfaction with the measures taken by the Travancore Devaswom Board , saying that they will address the 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 ensure that the measures are implemented strictly and in their entirety.

"The Board shall ensure that the necessary technological and administrative arrangements are put in place and that the officers and employees concerned are made fully accountable for their respective duties. The entire exercise shall be completed before the commencement of the ensuing pilgrimage season 2026-27."

"The Board shall also ensure that the systems introduced are subjected to regular monitoring and verification so that incidents of this nature do not recur," the court said.

It also appreciated the TDB's decision to introduce scientific measurement systems, digital monitoring, computerised stock management and individual transaction tracking.

"These measures, if properly implemented, would substantially reduce the scope for manipulation and ensure that the revenue generated from the sale of this sacred offering is duly accounted for and safeguarded.

The Board had told the bench that it was going to introduce a scientific system for measuring the quantity of ghee available in the storage tanks.

It also told the court that it would help to accurately ascertain the stock available at any given point in time, account for every transaction and reconcile the quantity of ghee received, stored and distributed with the sale proceeds.

The TDB has also decided to install digital flow meters in the pipelines to ascertain the precise quantity of ghee flowing through them to the packing machines, the court had been told.

The Board has also told the bench that the income and expenditure registers, stock registers and other relevant records will be maintained strictly in accordance with the prescribed procedures.

It has said that frequent physical verification of the stock was contemplated and any loss, wastage or damage to the ghee shall be properly quantified and recorded in the relevant registers, so that no discrepancy remains unexplained or unaccounted for.

The steel storage tanks and the vessels used for drawing ghee from the tanks will be duly calibrated to ensure accuracy in measurement, and CCTV cameras are also proposed to be installed at all the counters to facilitate continuous monitoring and prevent unauthorised activities, it had told the court.

The timings of shift changes and transfers of stock between employees shall be properly recorded in the relevant registers; the entire process relating to the preparation, storage, accounting and distribution of ghee is to be computerised, and transaction tracking mechanisms as well as individual login credentials will be provided to all concerned employees, the TDB told the court.

The court had initially ordered the probe for identifying the causes and circumstances that resulted in a loss of over ₹17 lakh to the TDB on account of the alleged misappropriation in connection with the sale of ghee at Sannidhanam during the period from November 17, 2025 to December 27, 2025.

The court had initiated the petition on its own following a report by the TDB's Chief Vigilance and Security Officer pointing out that the sale proceeds of 16,628 packets of ghee sold at the shrine have not been remitted to the Devaswom account.

The court had later expressed dissatisfaction with the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau report in the matter, observing that the findings of the agency regarding the issue "appear to minimise the significance" of the loss caused to the Board.

It had 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 of funds by employees of the TDB in the sale of 'Adiya Sishtam Ghee'.

The investigation is ongoing.

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