The Kerala High Court has quashed the state government's order dissolving the board of directors of the Milma Thiruvananthapuram Regional Co-operative Milk Producers' Union, ruling that the decision was illegal. The Division Bench has directed the immediate reinstatement of the dissolved board.

To advertise here,

The verdict is a setback for the UDF government, which had dissolved the LDF-led board on July 25, citing alleged administrative irregularities, including issues related to the supply and distribution of ghee at Sabarimala.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Dr A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and A.K. Preetha passed the order while allowing an appeal filed by the Union president and other office-bearers. They had challenged a single-judge verdict that dismissed their petition against the government's action.

The Division Bench invalidated the order issued by the Director of the Dairy Development Department, which dissolved the elected board and appointed an administrative committee in its place.

The appeal was filed after the single bench declined to interfere with the government's decision. Senior Advocate Renjith Thampan and Advocate P.C. Sasidharan appeared for the appellants.

The government had curtailed the board's tenure, which was scheduled to continue until April 2027.

Sabarimala ghee controversy behind dissolution

The government cited allegations of serious irregularities in the functioning of the Thiruvananthapuram Union while justifying its decision. These included alleged lapses in the supply of ghee to Sabarimala and concerns over milk transportation from Maharashtra and quality control.

The dissolution triggered a political controversy, with the ousted LDF leadership accusing the UDF government of selectively targeting Left-controlled cooperative institutions.

The controversy intensified after the government also dissolved the LDF-led Malabar regional union board. 

The Left leadership alleged that the government had acted without following due process, providing prior notice or giving the elected representatives a fair opportunity to respond to the complaints.

Political row over Milma federation elections

The LDF also alleged that the dissolution of the regional union boards was intended to influence the upcoming elections to the Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma).

They argued that replacing elected boards with administrative committees could strengthen the UDF's position in the state-level federation. The UDF leadership, meanwhile, maintained that intervention was necessary in view of the alleged irregularities and accused the previous administration of protecting officials facing allegations.

The High Court's latest order now requires the government to reinstate the Thiruvananthapuram Union's dissolved board.

Milma denies quality lapses in Sabarimala ghee supply

Meanwhile, Milma had rejected allegations of lapses in the supply of ghee to Sabarimala.

On August 3, Milma Chairman K.S. Mani said the federation had supplied only premium-quality ghee that met the prescribed standards. He maintained that the cooperative had not compromised on the quality or purity of its products.

Addressing a press conference, Mani said Milma manufactured ghee and other dairy products using advanced technology and followed strict quality and food safety standards.

He said the ghee supplied to Sabarimala was packed in fully sealed 15-kg tins, ruling out the possibility of alteration or tampering during transportation. He added that all Milma dairies followed the same quality-control procedures.

Mani also said the federation had not received any official communication from the Devaswom authorities about the quality of the ghee supplied to the temple. Milma had received full payment for the consignment, he added.

The chairman said any replacement of Milma ghee with spurious or substandard products after delivery would constitute a serious offence. He called for those responsible to be identified and prosecuted under civil and criminal law.