The Kerala High Court has sought a report from the Travancore Devaswom Board regarding the purchase of pooja materials used for Nitya Nidhana Pooja at Sabarimala temple, demanding transparency in procurement processes.
A bench of Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and K V Jayakumar issued the order while considering a report by Sabarimala special commissioner on complaints about procuring materials from the same individual for 16 years. The report revealed that rice, malar, jaggery, banana, kottathenga, dried ginger, cumin seeds, cardamom, turmeric, pepper for Nitya Nidana Pooja, plus pattu, thorthu, and vella mundu used at Ganapathy Pratishtha and Malikappuram, have been supplied exclusively by Sunil Kumar alias Sunil Swamy for several years.
The report stated these materials are stored under the administrative officer’s custody, but none are accounted for in the devaswom records, including the Nadavaravu Register. No receipt has been issued to Sunil Kumar, and no competent authority verifies the quality, purity, or quantity of the supplied materials.
Sunil Kumar incurs approximately ₹3 lakh expenditure for Masapoojas and around ₹18 lakh during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season. A vigilance officer’s report warned that receiving materials from a particular individual without formal authority at a sacred temple like Sabarimala could lead to corruption.
The court observed that no justification exists for failing to record procurement details in the Nadavaravu Register. It directed TDB to submit a report by May 28 regarding procurement procedures and current rules regulating sales.
This judicial scrutiny upholds transparency and dharma in Sanatana Dharma’s sacred temple administration.
Transparency in temple management protects devotees’ faith and offerings. Follow Dharmic News for updates on Sabarimala and temple governance.
