Rs 28.44 lakh spent on household items, new vehicle for Cochin devaswom commissioner sans legal authority, Kerala HC told

Kochi: State audit department has submitted a report before high court stating that Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB) spent Rs 28.44 lakh on furnishing the official quarters, purchasing household items, and replacing the official vehicle of devaswom commissioner without clear legal authority and in violation of proper procedure.

The report, submitted by audit department deputy director following a court directive, claimed that the utilisation of devaswom funds, which were held in trust by CDB on behalf of the deity, for the commissioner, who had been appointed on deputation for a limited tenure, could not be justified and was not in conformity with the principles of financial propriety. It further stated that there is no provision for granting furnished residential accommodation to CDB employees.

However, CDB spent Rs 13.81 lakh on furnishing the official quarters of Udayakumar S R, who was appointed devaswom commissioner on deputation for a year in 2024 and whose service was extended for an additional year. The expenditure included Rs 4.23 lakh spent on household items, including a refrigerator, water purifier, induction cooker, water heater, 43-inch LED TV, sofa set, divan cot, dining table with chairs, two double cots, two double mattresses, two tables, four chairs, a washing machine, inverter, and curtains.

The report also stated that Rs 14.63 lakh had been spent on replacing the commissioner’s official vehicle with a new Maruti Grand Vitara. The audit department pointed out that there is no provision in CDB (Payment of Travelling and Halting Allowance to President and Members of the Board) Rules for the allotment of a vehicle for the devaswom commissioner. The report also alleged several irregularities in the replacement of the vehicle. Although the old vehicle was replaced citing a serious braking issue, no expert inspection report or supporting documents were found in the relevant file.

Similarly, the old vehicle, which was registered in 2020 and had covered only 86,419km, was replaced in violation of a 2019 govt order mandating that vehicles may be replaced only after completing either three lakh kilometres or 10 years of service.