Pathanamthitta, 24 Oct (H.S.): Transport contractor S.S. Binu has been arrested in connection with the alleged diversion and sale of Milma ghee meant for Sabarimala, marking the first arrest in a case involving suspected losses of around Rs 2.5 crore to the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The action follows findings that ghee dispatched for the hill shrine’s Sannidhanam was diverted during transportation and sold to two agencies in Tamil Nadu. Investigators identified the firms as Sri Venkateswara Traders and Leo Traders.

According to the findings, cheaper ghee was supplied to Sabarimala in place of the Milma consignments. The alleged substitution and diversion have brought the procurement and transportation arrangements under scrutiny.

The case also involves questions over the board’s decision to purchase ghee from Milma after cancelling a tender process in which six establishments had participated.

The board decided in 2024 to procure ghee from outside suppliers for the 2025 Makaravilakku season. It subsequently invited bids, but cancelled the tender while the procurement proceedings were under way and awarded the contract to Milma.

A Tamil Nadu firm that participated in the tender had quoted Rs 369 a litre. However, the board purchased ghee from Milma at Rs 510 a litre, a difference of Rs 141 for every litre.

An inquiry conducted by Devaswom Vigilance found that the purchase of 1.65 lakh litres from Milma resulted in a loss of Rs 2.27 crore to the board.

That procurement-related finding forms part of the wider controversy, alongside allegations that the contracted transporter diverted the higher-priced ghee for sale elsewhere while cheaper supplies reached the shrine.

Binu’s arrest concerns the alleged diversion of consignments intended for Sabarimala. The case centres on how those supplies were transported, sold to the Tamil Nadu agencies and replaced before delivery, causing an alleged financial loss to the board responsible for administering the shrine.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman