Global Ayyappa Sangamam fund row: TDB forms task force to solve discrepancies, ₹3.98 cr received as sponsorship, ₹1 cr from Adani ports

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has formed a task force comprising the Devaswom Commissioner, the Devaswom Accounts Officer and the Chief Engineer to address irregularities alleged in the audit report regarding expenditure of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. The audit report furnished in the High Court by the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, R Jayakrishnan, revealed grave lapses in the accounts management. 

The report cited that the works of the event were awarded to the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) without following any tender or competitive bidding procedure. It said that no confirmation regarding the treatment of input tax credit related to the Global Ayyappa Sangamam was received from the TDB and whether the same has been adjusted against the General Fund received from the TDB or not. The audit report noted that details of the sponsorship income of ₹2 crore were not furnished in the report and that the TDB General Fund of ₹2crore was not recouped so far.

The findings sparked a row and the TDB later came up with an explanation that it had failed to respond to audit queries promptly, which led to mismatch in accounts. Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan told the assembly on Monday that a task force has been formed to specifically address discrepancies mentioned in the audit report. 

According to the Minister, an amount of ₹3.12 crore was spent on the event. The IIIC submitted a bill of ₹3crore and the input tax credit of ₹45.76 lakh is reflected in the TDB's GSTR-2B. He said that an amount of ₹5 crore was allocated under Religious convention and discourse in the Devaswom Board budget 2025-26. When the sponsorship fund was being delayed, this amount of ₹5 crore was transferred to the new bank account opened for the Ayyappa Sangamam event at the Nanthencode branch of Dhanlaxmi Bank. 

On October 17, 2025, an amount of ₹3crore was deposited in the General fund of the board upon receiving the sponsorship amount. The account now has a balance of ₹2.72 crore and once the accounts are finalised, this amount will be deposited in the General Fund, the Devaswom Board has informed the government. 

The Devawom board received ₹2crore from Dhanlaxmi Bank, ₹1crore from Kerala Bank, and ₹98 lakhs from Adani Ports Trust as sponsorship fund for the event. Dhanlaxmi Bank allocated an additional ₹36 lakhs under GST for the event. After deducting GST, an amount of ₹3.82 crore was received as sponsorship sum for the event, according to the Minister's statement. 

The Minister said that IIIC was selected for event management without tender, considering the urgent need, as only very little time was available for managing the event, and arrangements for Sabarimala mandalam-makaravilakku festival 2025-26 were also underway simultaneously.