Kochi, November 4: In a setback to the V.D. Satheesan-led Kerala government, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday quashed the order dissolving the board of directors of the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers' Union and directed its immediate reinstatement, IANS reported.

Source: IANS

A Division Bench comprising Justices Dr A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and A.K. Preetha declared illegal the July 25 order issued by the Director of Dairy Development, which had dissolved the elected board and appointed an administrative committee, citing alleged irregularities, including those relating to the supply of ghee to Sabarimala, DevDiscourse reported.

Source: DevDiscourse

July 25Date of the Dairy Development Director's dissolution order quashed by the court
2Judges on the Division Bench — Justices Nambiar and Preetha
15 kgSize of the fully sealed tins in which Milma said its Sabarimala ghee was packed

The Bench allowed an appeal filed by the Union President and other office-bearers against an earlier single-judge verdict that had dismissed their petition. The single judge had declined to interfere with the government's decision to dissolve the board, after which the office-bearers challenged that order before the Division Bench.

The Sabarimala ghee background

The dissolution had followed allegations of irregularities in the distribution of ghee to the Sabarimala temple. The issue had earlier triggered a public defence by the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma), the state's apex dairy federation, of which the Thiruvananthapuram union is a regional unit.

On August 3, Milma had maintained that there was no lapse in the supply of ghee to Sabarimala and that only premium-quality ghee meeting prescribed standards was supplied. Milma Chairman K.S. Mani had said the ghee underwent stringent quality checks before being dispatched and was packed in fully sealed 15-kg tins, ruling out alteration or tampering during transit. He had also said Milma received no official communication from the Devaswom authorities about any quality complaints and had received full payment for the supply, adding that any replacement of Milma ghee with substandard products after delivery would amount to a serious offence.

Wednesday's verdict requires the elected board to be restored, overturning the government's decision to replace it with an administrative committee. The allegations behind the dissolution remain allegations; the court's order decides the legality of the dissolution itself, holding the July 25 action illegal.