Thiruvananthapuram — Kerala's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has arrested two wholesale traders from Tamil Nadu in the alleged Sabarimala ghee diversion case, widening an investigation that began with the arrest of transport contractor S S Binu last month. The two men, identified as Venkateswaran and Kumaran, are residents of Oddanchatram in Tamil Nadu's Dindigul district.

Source: Chennai Vision

Investigators allege that the two traders purchased approximately 11,000 litres of ghee that had been diverted from official consignments intended for the Sabarimala shrine during the 2025 pilgrimage season. The ghee was originally supplied by the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), which sells dairy products under the Milma brand. According to investigators, contractor S S Binu allegedly diverted the stock and sold it to the two traders for approximately Rs 50 lakh. These are allegations under investigation; they have not been proved in court.

Source: Chennai Vision

11,000 litresMilma ghee investigators allege was diverted from Sabarimala consignments
Rs 50 lakhamount the diverted stock was allegedly sold to the two traders for
Rs 2.5 croreestimated loss to the Travancore Devaswom Board from the alleged substitution
2traders arrested in the latest VACB action

The alleged substitution — diverting the original Milma ghee and supplying a cheaper product to the shrine instead — is estimated to have caused a financial loss of around Rs 2.5 crore to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Sabarimala temple. Former TDB president P S Prasanth is also among three individuals previously booked in the investigation.

Source: Chennai Vision

The case is being investigated after the Kerala High Court ordered a vigilance investigation when concerns were raised before the court about possible violations of tender procedures and the quality of ghee delivered to the temple. Binu, who held the contract to transport the ghee to the hill shrine for the 2025 pilgrimage season, was arrested last month in the first arrest in the case; Awaaz Punjab reported that arrest on October 24. The latest arrests take the probe to the buyers the diverted stock was allegedly sold to.

Source: TrendWire (citing Hindustan Times reporting)

Allegations, not findings

The VACB's case is that Milma ghee meant for Sabarimala prasadam was diverted and replaced with a cheaper product. No court has held the allegations proved against Binu, Venkateswaran, Kumaran or any other person named in the investigation, and the probe is continuing.