Kochi: The Kerala High Court has ordered a comprehensive Vigilance investigation into alleged irregularities and possible misappropriation in the procurement and supply of Milma ghee to Sabarimala during the 2025-26 Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

A Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to register a case and conduct a criminal investigation, observing that the allegations emerging from a preliminary enquiry were "extremely grave" and warranted an independent probe. The court was hearing suo motu proceedings initiated on the basis of a report submitted by the Sabarimala Special Commissioner.

According to the preliminary enquiry, the Travancore Devaswom Board had initially floated e-tenders for the supply of ghee. While the lowest bidder quoted ₹369 per litre, Milma's quoted price was ₹510 per litre.

Despite the higher rate, the Devaswom Board cancelled the tender process and approved the purchase of 1.65 lakh litres of ghee from Milma after the Executive Officer claimed that the superior quality of Milma ghee would reduce the quantity required for preparing Aravana and improve its quality.

The High Court noted that these claims were not supported by any scientific study or empirical evidence. It also observed that the Devaswom Commissioner had opposed the proposal, questioning both the quality claims and the significantly higher procurement cost.

The preliminary enquiry also raised doubts over whether the entire quantity of 1,61,535 litres of ghee claimed to have been supplied by Milma had actually reached Sabarimala.

According to the report, the Devaswom Board could have saved around ₹2.27 crore had it proceeded with the original lowest bidder.

The enquiry highlighted several alleged irregularities, including discrepancies in the transportation, receipt and accounting of the ghee, the absence of proper quality verification at the time of receipt, and reliance on quality certificates issued by a third-party supplier instead of testing the ghee supplied by Milma.

The report further stated that Milma procured nearly 24,970 kg of ghee from Sonai Co-operative Dairy in Pune after receiving the supply order from the Devaswom Board. The preliminary enquiry reportedly found Milma's explanation that the purchase was intended to meet Onam demand unconvincing.

The Bench also referred to an earlier order regulating the collection of leftover ghee from devotees after Neyyabhishekam, observing that substantial quantities had already accumulated at Sabarimala. In such circumstances, the necessity of purchasing additional ghee at a significantly higher price required closer scrutiny, the court said.

Finding that the allegations indicated possible financial loss to the Travancore Devaswom Board and potential misuse of public funds, the court directed the VACB Director to constitute a special team and register a criminal case based on the preliminary enquiry report.

The Bench clarified that prior sanction under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act was not required for the investigation in view of the nature of the allegations.

When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, the state informed the court that a VACB team had already been constituted in compliance with its earlier directions.

The High Court directed that the investigation be headed by MJ Sojan, IPS, Superintendent of Police, VACB Special Cell, Ernakulam, who is also probing alleged criminal misappropriation relating to "Adiya Sishtam Ghee" in separate proceedings connected to Sabarimala.

The investigating team has been directed to examine all aspects highlighted in the preliminary enquiry report and submit a progress report before the High Court within one month. The court also instructed that details of the investigation should not be disclosed to the media. The matter has been posted for further hearing on August 17.
(With LiveLaw inputs.)