Kerala HC Directs TDB to End Sabarimala Officer-as-Supplier Practice, Orders Systemwide Procurement Review
The Kerala High Court closed a Special Commissioner Report after the Travancore Devaswom Board resolved to centralise all Vazhipadu procurement at Sabarimala, ending an arrangement the bench called a grossly unholy practice.
A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K. V. Jayakumar, on 15 July 2026, closed suo motu proceedings that had been registered on the basis of a Special Commissioner’s report concerning the unauthorised supply of pooja materials by one Sunil Kumar @ Sunil Swamy and alleged misappropriation in the purchase of pooja materials at Sabarimala. The proceedings exposed a long-standing arrangement at Sannidhanam under which the Administrative Officer himself acted as the supplier or contractor for materials required for Vazhipadus. The bench declared the practice “wholly inappropriate and has no place in the administration of a public religious institution” and directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to implement its own reform order, while also directing a comprehensive review of procurement practices across all temples under the Board’s administration.
The Procurement Arrangement Under Scrutiny
The Special Commissioner’s report placed before the Division Bench detailed how the conduct of Ashtabhishekam Vazhipadu at Sabarimala was financed. Devotees are charged ₹6,000 per Ashtabhishekam, of which ₹300 is earmarked for pooja materials. Of the eight materials required, five are issued through the Devaswom store. The remaining three — milk, tender coconut and panineer (rose water) — were being procured independently by the Administrative Officer concerned.
The audit found that no Stock Register or Ledger was maintained for these three articles. The Administrative Officer had reported to auditors that only the amount sanctioned by the Board towards supplier costs was drawn, and therefore no ledger was maintained. No purchase bills or supporting documents relating to the procurement were furnished along with the Koottu bill raised for drawal of supplier costs.
Over a ten-year period, 31,313 Ashtabhishekam Vazhipadus were conducted at Sabarimala. The supplier cost claimed by various Administrative Officers over this period amounted to ₹93,93,900. The audit reported, however, that since the total amount for each Vazhipadu was fully remitted to the Devaswom Fund and only the admissible supplier cost was thereafter claimed, no loss to the Devaswom Board could be identified in this regard.
Ganapathi Homam and Nithyanidhanam: Missing Bills and Unanswered Enquiries
A second audit statement dated 29 June 2026 examined the conduct of Ganapathi Homam, Nithyanidhanam and Mahanivedyam for the period 2016–17 to 2025–26. For Departmental Ganapathi Homam conducted between 16 November 2016 and 31 March 2026, supplier cost of ₹5,07,304 was sanctioned at ₹456 per day. A further ₹60,89,115 was sanctioned as supplier cost for 1,31,182 Ganapathi Homam Vazhipadus performed as “Puramvaka” during the same period.
The audit reported that item-wise details of materials obtained through sponsorship, cash bills or invoices, and quantities procured were not provided for audit verification. Audit Enquiry No. 37 dated 17 June 2026 was issued for production of purchase bills, vouchers and supporting records. No reply was furnished. As a result, the correctness and authenticity of expenditure amounting to ₹65,96,419 could not be verified by the audit conducted pursuant to directions issued by the court.
Insofar as Mahanivedyam is concerned, the audit noted that though ROC No. 4750/2025/SAB dated 11 June 2025 was issued to regulate the arrangement, it was implemented only from May 2026. The audit was not furnished with any explanation for the delay. For Nithyanidhanam, the Nithyanidhanam Ledger produced for audit recorded that all materials required were sponsored by Sunil Kumar. The Board order authorising or approving that sponsorship was requested but not furnished. Audit Enquiry No. 59/07-01-026 and a subsequent Audit Enquiry No. 80/17-01-26 for production of the Nadavaravu Vazhipadu Register — the register meant to record all offerings made within the temple sanctum — also went unanswered.
Audit Recommendations and the Chief Vigilance Officer’s Report
Following its examination, the audit department made three recommendations. The existing practice of sanctioning supplier cost must be discontinued and replaced with supply of items through the Sabarimala Devaswom store, with items procured through wide publicity and in accordance with the Store Purchase Manual. There should be absolute adherence to Sections 25, 26, 31, 32 and 35 of the TCHRI Act, 1950 along with the Devaswom Manual and Rules. DFF No. 3 receipts must be issued for materials offered by sponsors as Vazhipadu.
An additional report from the Special Commissioner placed before the bench included the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer’s report dated 1 July 2026. That report recommended that milk, panineer and tender coconuts for Ashtabhishekam be procured only from authorised vendors using branded products; that panineer must conform to prescribed quality standards and bear ISI certification; that custody of the Nithyanidhana Store be entrusted to the Store Superintendent; and that vessels used for supplying Ashtabhishekam materials be standardised with uniform capacity.
On the use of plantains in the preparation of Appam, the Chief Vigilance Officer reported that during the rainy season, plantains are not used in the manufacturing process to avoid moisture-related deterioration. The bench noted that if plantains are not used during that period, their cost must not be included in the cost of the Vazhipadu or recovered from devotees.
The Board’s Reform Order and the Court’s Assessment
The Standing Counsel placed before the bench Board Order No. ROC.04/2026/SAB dated 13 July 2026 and the consequential executive order EOP No. 543/2026/SAB dated 14 July 2026. By its decision dated 10 July 2026, the Travancore Devaswom Board resolved that all materials required for the conduct of Vazhipadus at Sabarimala shall henceforth be procured, stored and issued exclusively through the Central Store. This decision ends the arrangement under which the Administrative Officer functioned in the capacity of a supplier or contractor.
The Board order further provides that items such as milk, flowers, tender coconuts and plantains shall be procured and distributed solely through the Central Store. The entire inventory management and transactions of the Central Store are to be fully digitised. Materials received from sponsors shall be accepted only through the Central Store, and DFF No. 3 receipts shall be issued to sponsors. Materials so received must undergo quality and safety checks by Food Safety Department officers stationed at Sannidhanam before being used for temple purposes. Implementation was stated to take effect from the commencement of the Chingamasa Pooja.
The bench characterised the prior arrangement in direct terms. Permitting an officer of the Devaswom Board to function simultaneously as a supplier or contractor for that very institution violates the principles of transparency, accountability and institutional integrity, gives rise to conflicts of interest, and creates the distinct possibility of abuse of official position. The bench described the arrangement as “a grossly unholy practice in a holy place.”
Directions Issued
The bench commended the Travancore Devaswom Board for abolishing the practice at Sabarimala. It directed the Board to undertake a comprehensive review of procurement practices followed in all other temples under its administration and to ensure that similar arrangements, if existing elsewhere, are discontinued in a phased and time-bound manner so as to eliminate avenues for arbitrariness, favouritism and corruption.
The bench further directed the Board to faithfully implement the decisions contained in the Board Order dated 13 July 2026 in its letter as well as spirit and to ensure strict compliance with the safeguards and procedural reforms introduced therein.
Outcome
The Special Commissioner Report in SSCR No. 14 of 2026 was closed by the Division Bench on 15 July 2026. The Travancore Devaswom Board is directed to implement the Board Order dated 13 July 2026 and to report on the review of procurement practices across its other temples.