Kerala High Court Flags ₹40 Lakh Embezzlement In Petrol Pump Run By Travancore Devaswom Board, Orders Digitalisation Of All Temple Accounts

The Kerala High Court on Friday (August 8) pulled up the Travancore Devaswom Board over reported embezzelment of ₹40 lakh from a petrol pump run by it at Nilakkal, a base camp of Sabarimala pilgrims.

Noting that the Board administers 1,250 temples, the Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar ordered digitalisation of all their accounts and sought a comprehensive report in the matter. 

"...This instance appears to be merely the tip of the iceberg. Such gross administrative negligence cannot be allowed to persist," it observed.

As per the report submitted by the Joint Director, Kerala State Audit Department of Travancore Devaswom Audit, certain serious discrepancies and irregularities in the account keeping of the petrol pump 'Sree Ayyappa Fuels' were made out.

It noted that the Stock Registers were not up-to-date with the last recorded entry in July 2024. Moreover, there were inordinate delay in the remittances of daily collections, irregularities in fuel management, and mismatch in the financial reports and the original records like Sales Register, Sales Slips, and Vouchers, etc.

The Court noted that an amount of around 40 lakhs was misappropriated and that disciplinary proceedings were initiated against employees for the embezzlement. In the light of such circumstances, the Joint Director recommended many safeguards to prevent more such incidents, including urgent implementation of a digital record-keeping system to track fuel sales, credit slips, and stock levels in real time.

The Bench further remarked that the institution lacked financial integrity since it continued to use outdated manual accounting processes, when directions were issued by the Court as early as in 2015 to implement complete computerisation of its operations.

"It is shocking that a fuel pump catering to a large volume of vehicles has been permitted to operate without proper accounting mechanisms or real-time monitoring systems...As early as 2015, clear and binding directions were issued mandating the complete computerisation of operations to prevent corruption, mismanagement, and embezzlement, and to ensure transparency in both financial and administrative affairs. We also take note that there is a long delay in completing the statutory audit of various temples and institutions and the same is attributable to the failure to reconcile accounts and the continued dependence on outdated manual accounting processes. This is a disturbing reflection of the absence of financial integrity within the institution."

The Court, thereafter, observed that further delay in implementing computerisation would lead to continued misappropriation of funds, which, in turn, would compromise the sanctity of temple administration and undermine public trust in the Board's functioning. Thus, it directed the Board to submit a report regarding the steps taken to computerise its institutions, including the 1250 temples under its administration.

It further observed:

"We are of the considered view that it is the bounden duty of the Board to ensure that a comprehensive, fully functional, and tamper-proof software system of all the institutions governed by the Board is in place at the earliest, so that all revenues and expenditures are captured, monitored, and reconciled on a day-to-day basis." 

The Court even went on to list out the capabilities of the software. This included tracking of receipts in real-time, integration of HR records, recording and approval of all prerequisites for construction activities, monitoring tendering processes for contracts, enforcing transparent bidding, and preventing dealings with blacklisted parties, and other capabilities.

The case is posted on August 22 for the report of the Board.

Case No: DBAR No. 2/2025

Case Title: Joint Director v.  Secretary, Travancore Devaswom Board

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