Kerala HC extends time for Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to complete probe in Sabarimala ghee sale scam
A bench of justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar granted extension after the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) submitted that nine more Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) personnel were suspected to be involved in the scam and their role should be investigated.
The bureau had initially registered an FIR against 33 people in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds from the sale of ‘right’.
VACB also told the court that careless and improper retention of records by the TDB had significantly hampered the progress of the investigation, making it difficult to complete the investigation within the stipulated time.
Having taken into account the submissions of the investigation agency, the court said it was satisfied that the request for additional time was justified.
“Accordingly, another 30-day period has been granted to conclude the investigation. We instruct the Bureau to obtain permission from this court before submitting the final report,” the Board said.
The VACB was also directed to conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation by clearly identifying and determining the role of each individual involved in the incident and proceed in accordance with the law so that appropriate measures can be taken without delay. The court had in January directed the VACB to register a case and constitute a team of “honest and competent officers” to investigate the incident.
The orders came on a petition initiated by the court itself, following the report of the TDB Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, which pointed out that the sale proceeds of 16,628 packets of ghee sold at the shrine were not transferred to the Devaswom account.
Besides this, the report also revealed that there was a shortage of 22,565 packets of ghee during the period between December 27, 2025 and January 2, 2026, resulting in a revenue loss of Rs 22,65,500 to Devaswom.
