Officials at the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram have suspended six employees after an inquiry found large-scale irregularities in the temple’s laddu sales and free distribution, with the loss estimated at Rs 3.40 crore.
The temple distributes 1,520 laddus of 30 grams each daily as free prasadam. Separately, 50-gram laddus are sold at a counter inside the temple premises for Rs 15 each. An assistant-level staff member, Panchamoorthy, had been assigned to oversee sales.
According to the joint commissioner, an inspection of the laddu preparation unit on March 14 revealed a shortage in raw material stock. The inquiry found that laddu sales from 2023 up to February 2026 were under-reported in accounts, while actual sales were higher after the inspection.
The report alleged that additional laddus were prepared and sold outside the recorded figures, and proceeds were diverted. Over three years, 22.71 lakh laddus were sold in this manner, leading to an estimated misappropriation of Rs 3,40,65,000.
Joint Commissioner Chellathurai ordered the suspension of Panchamoorthy and five others named as associates: Vikram (Panchamoorthy’s son) and sales staff Sivaneswari, Selvi, Lavanya and Ambika.
