Milma Board Reinstated: Kerala HC Quashes Dissolution Over Sabarimala Ghee Row
The Kerala High Court has quashed the government order dissolving the Milma Thiruvananthapuram board over the Sabarimala ghee controversy.
In a significant legal victory for the dairy cooperative, the Kerala High Court Division Bench has quashed the state government's order to dissolve the board of directors of the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers' Union. The court declared the dissolution illegal and ordered the immediate reinstatement of the dissolved Board of Directors.
Court Overturns Government Order
The Division Bench, consisting of Justices Dr. A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and A.K. Preetha, invalidated the order previously issued by the Director of the Dairy Development Department. This government directive, issued on July 25, had not only dissolved the board but also replaced it with an administrative committee.
The decision comes after the court allowed an appeal filed by the Union President and other office-bearers. Their petition had previously been dismissed by a single-bench verdict, but the Division Bench has now reversed that outcome. Senior Advocate Renjith Thampan and Advocate P.C. Sasidharan represented the appellants in the case.
The Sabarimala Ghee Controversy
The state government had taken the drastic step of dissolving the board based on several allegations, most notably irregularities surrounding the distribution of ghee to the Sabarimala temple. The controversy sparked concerns regarding the quality and handling of the dairy product supplied to the shrine.
Milma Defends Product Quality
The Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) has strongly denied any wrongdoing. On August 3, the federation clarified that there were no lapses in the supply chain and maintained that only premium-quality ghee, adhering to all prescribed standards, was delivered to Sabarimala.
Milma Chairman K S Mani emphasized the federation's commitment to purity and safety, stating that the products are manufactured using advanced technology and strict food safety protocols. He highlighted a key logistical detail to debunk claims of tampering:
"The ghee supplied to Sabarimala was packed in fully sealed 15 kg tins, making any alteration or tampering during transit impossible. All Milma dairies follow the same stringent quality protocols."
No Official Complaints
Further clarifying the situation, Chairman K S Mani revealed that Milma had received no official communication from the Devaswom authorities regarding any quality issues with the supplied ghee. Furthermore, he confirmed that the federation had received full payment for the delivery.
The Chairman warned that if the authentic Milma ghee was replaced with spurious or substandard products after delivery, it would constitute a serious offense. He asserted that those responsible for such an act should be identified and prosecuted under both civil and criminal law.