The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has arrested a former priest under the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in connection with irregularities in the sale of ghee offerings (Adiya Shishtam ghee) at Sabarimala during the just concluded Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, officials said on Wednesday.
According to officials, the accused, K.R. Sunilkumar Potti, a native of Aroor, Alappuzha, and a former priest of the Chaliyekkara Bhadrakali temple under the Punalur group of the TDB, was taken into custody by the Pathanamthitta Vigilance unit. He had been entrusted by the TDB with the responsibility of selling Adiya Shishtam ghee in Sabarimala during the 2025-2026 pilgrimage season.
According to the Vigilance, employees appointed by the TDB for the sale of ghee in packets during the Mandala-Makaravilakku festival allegedly indulged in large-scale irregularities by failing to remit the full sale proceeds to the board. Instead, manipulation of stock and accounts was carried out, causing a financial loss of ₹36,24,400 to the board. Following a Vigilance probe, a case was registered with TDB employees as accused.
The investigation found Sunilkumar Potti, arraigned as 13th accused, had misappropriated and converted the sale proceeds of 62 packets of ghee worth ₹68,200, for his own use for 17 days. The arrested was produced before the Kollam Vigilance Court and remanded in judicial custody.
₹100 per packet
The ghee, labelled as ‘Adiya Shishtam Neyy,’ is sold as an offering in 100 ml packets, priced at ₹100 each. The alleged irregularity came to light during a Vigilance inspection of records, which revealed that the amount corresponding to the packets sold had not been remitted to the TDB account.
The inspection also found that proper records were not being maintained on the number of packets issued for sale and the remaining stock, creating room for such irregularities. There are also allegations that similar lapses were reported on earlier occasions as well, but were often brushed under the carpet as mere accounting errors.
Published – February 05, 2026 08:48 pm IST
