Milma Denies Involvement in Sabari Mala Ghee Scam, Questions Allegations of Adulteration

Thiruvananthapuram, August 4: A controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in ghee supply at Kerala’s renowned Sabari Mala temple took a new turn on Monday. The state’s cooperative body, Milma, denied any involvement in the matter and raised questions about how such alleged tampering went unnoticed until now.

This latest dispute follows the recent gold smuggling case involving the Travancore Devaswom Board, which led to the arrest of around 15 officials and raised concerns over the management of temple assets and offerings.

K.S. Mani, the president of the Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), or Milma, dismissed reports linking the dairy cooperative to the alleged ghee scam as baseless. He asserted that no adulteration or tampering occurred in the ghee supplied by Milma.

He stated that each batch of ghee sent to Sabari Mala underwent testing at the state laboratory and was dispatched only after meeting the required quality standards.

According to him, the Travancore Devaswom Board never officially informed Milma of any decline in the quality of its ghee.

K.S. Mani emphasized that if any irregularities occurred, Milma bore no responsibility. He also suggested that external traders might be involved and warned that strict legal action would be initiated if Milma’s name, logo, or symbol were misused.

He questioned why no discrepancies were detected during the transit of ghee from Pathanamthitta to Sabari Mala at the inspection point in Pampa. He asked why temple officials did not promptly inform Milma if they observed any irregularities.

The Milma chief stated that the cooperative would fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. He also made it clear that if any Milma official was found involved, strict action would be taken.

Despite the controversy, K.S. Mani claimed that Milma’s ghee sales remained unaffected. He mentioned that a decision regarding an internal investigation would be made after receiving a report from the managing director of the Thiruvananthapuram regional federation.