Ernakulam Siva temple advisory panel accuses Devaswom officer of festival accounts irregularities, seeks independent audit
The Ernakulam Siva Temple Advisory Committee has accused a Devaswom officer of financial irregularities and is demanding an independent audit. The officer has denied the claims, attributing the accusations to personal vendettas following his own complaints against committee members.
Why it matters
This dispute highlights administrative and financial governance challenges within religious institutions managed by state-appointed boards.
The stand-off between the Ernakulam Siva Temple Advisory Committee and the temple Devaswom Officer over accounts related to the temple festival held in January further intensified after the committee on Monday (September 7, 2026) shot off a second letter in three days to the Cochin Devaswom Board Commissioner, alleging manipulation of accounts by the officer.
In its fresh complaint, the committee demanded an immediate independent audit of the accounts relating to the 2025–26 festival and related temple finances by an authority unconnected with the temple’s routine administration. It accused Devaswom officer Akhil Damodaran of attempting to manipulate financial records and expenditure accounts by engaging third parties.
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