Kochi: The High Court has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board and the State Audit Department to submit explanations regarding discrepancies found in the income and expenditure accounts of the Global Ayyappa Meet held on the banks of the Pampa.

The Devaswom Bench comprising Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice KV Jayakumar ordered that explanations be submitted by February 27 on the discrepancies identified through an independent audit.

The audit was conducted on behalf of the Board by the chartered accountancy firm Vijayan & Associates. The report pointed out that the Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction, under the Uralungal Labour Contract Society, was awarded the contract for organising the Ayyappa Meet without a tender.

It was planned to distribute 4,100 packets each of appam, aravana, vibhuti, turmeric, kumkum, consecrated ghee (adiyashishta ney), and one kilogram of sandalwood to guests. However, the cost of these items was not recorded. The report also noted that bills related to subcontracts were not produced for audit. Discrepancies were found in GST and input tax entries as well, forcing the court to seek explanations.

The government and the Board had stated that the expenses for the Ayyappa Meet would be met through sponsorships. However, as this could not be fully realised, the Board had to spend ₹3.40 crore. The total expected expenditure for the event was ₹5 crore, but the audit report states that the actual spending exceeded ₹6 crore.