Thiruvananthapuram, February 13 Former TDB president P S Prasanth denied allegations of financial irregularities related to the conduct of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam held last year, stating that attempts were being made to spread misinformation regarding the event’s expenditure.
In a Facebook post, he said that only Rs 3 crore was spent on organizing the Ayyappa Sangamam, and that the entire amount was received through sponsorship.
During Prasanth’s tenure as TDB president, the Global Ayyappa Sangamam was held at Pampa, Pathanamthitta, in September last year.
He further stated that an additional Rs one crore was also received as sponsorship.
Prasanth said that Rs three crore was taken in advance under the head "religious conferences and lectures" for organizational expenses, but the amount was repaid in full on October 17, 2025, immediately after receiving the sponsorship funds.
"Not even a single rupee has been spent from the Devaswom Board’s funds so far for the event," he said.
Referring to an interim report submitted by the Devaswom Commissioner to the Kerala High Court on November 4, 2025, Prasanth said that the total expenditure mentioned was Rs 4.5 crore plus GST.
"The basis on which the latest report was prepared should be examined. The details are open for verification by anyone," he said.
The Kerala High Court recently noted several issues and "serious inconsistencies" in the audit report of the Global Ayyappa Sangamam.
The court examined the Special Commissioner's report on expenditure for the Sangamam on February 11.
After perusing the report, the court said it highlighted various issues like the execution of the work being given to the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) without a tender or bidding process on an expenditure plus 10 per cent facilitating or administrative charge.
According to the report, there were also "serious inconsistencies" between the Bill of Quantity (BOQ) and the Joint Measurement Sheets (JMS) with regard to wooden frame centre tables and food serving charges in VIP areas, among others, the court noted.
The court also pointed out issues relating to GST input credit and the absence of details regarding sponsorship income amounting to Rs 2 crore, which were not furnished in the report.
Opposition leaders have come out against the state government, Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan and the TDB, alleging serious irregularities in connection with the event.
Meanwhile, Vasavan on Friday said in a press conference that the government has no role in handling the financial matters related to the summit and that it is the responsibility of the TDB.
"The TDB will provide the correct figures regarding the expenditure and clarify the matter," he said.
The minister said he had already responded to a question raised by Congress MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in the Kerala Assembly about the matter.
"He had asked whether the advance amount given for the event was repaid. We received information from the TDB that it was repaid on October 17, 2025," he said.
Vasavan said TDB clarified that the remaining expenditure for the summit was met through sponsorship. It is for the TDB to clarify the details regarding the expenditure, he added.