The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against key former officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) over alleged corruption and irregularities in procuring ghee for the Sabarimala temple during the 2025–2026 Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.According to the FIR filed on August 6, 2026, by the VACB Southern Range, Trivandrum, the named accused include former TDB president Prasanth P.S., board member Aji Kumar, and late former Executive Officer Murari Babu, along with unidentified others.The case was registered following directions from the High Court of Kerala after a preliminary TDB Vigilance inquiry revealed severe procedural violations that allegedly caused a financial loss of ₹2,27,76,435 to the Devaswom Board.The investigation revealed that the accused bypassed mandatory tender procedures and food safety norms to award the supply contract to Milma at an inflated rate of ₹510 per liter. Qualified lower bidders were systematically excluded despite Milma not participating in the original tender process.To justify selecting Milma, the former executive officer submitted an unscientific report claiming that seven litres of Milma ghee could replace the standard 10 litres required per batch of Aravana prasadam, overruling explicit objections raised by the Devaswom Commissioner.Over 1.61 lakh litres of ghee were purchased from Milma and utilized for Aravana production without proper quality testing by food safety officers or adequate documentation. The report further noted that ghee offered by devotees was mixed into production, raising suspicions of misappropriation.The VACB has booked the accused under Sections 7, 13(1)(a), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, along with criminal conspiracy and breach of trust provisions under Sections 61(2) and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Published - August 08, 2026 08:25 pm IST