In 2024, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan had ignited a debate by alleging that the sacred Tirupati laddu had been adulterated with “animal fat”. (file)
The CBI has filed its final chargesheet in the Tirupati laddu adulteration case and has found that there was no beef tallow or lard in the ghee used to make the laddu prasadam between 2019 and 2024.
The chargesheet was filed on January 23 before the Anti-Corruption Bureau court in Nellore.
About 16 months ago, in 2024, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan had ignited a debate by alleging that the sacred Tirupati laddu had been adulterated with “animal fat”. A CBI special investigation team was set up to probe the matter following the intervention of the Supreme Court in October 2024.
As per the chargesheet, the ghee used for laddu preparation was adulterated with vegetable oils and laboratory esters used to chemically mimic dairy parameters. It did not find that animal fat was used.
The chargesheet reveals that the primary supplier, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, based in Bhagwanpur, Uttarakhand, operated what investigators have called a “virtual” manufacturing unit. The probe revealed that while the dairy procured no milk or butter at its facility between 2019 and 2024, it managed to supply at least 68 kilograms of ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the Venkateswara temple. The ghee, which was synthetically manufactured without milk, was valued at approximately Rs 250 crore.
The chemical analysis done by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) identified a specific method used to hoodwink the TTD’s quality control protocols. The temple’s testing relied heavily on Reichert-Meissl (RM) values – a standard measure of purity with a range of 24 to 28 – to verify ghee. To mislead this test, a base of palm oil, palm kernel oil, and palmolein sourced from Budge Budge Co. Ltd. in Kolkata, was used, the chargesheet said.
The chargesheet details the addition of Acetic Acid Esters, supplied specifically by a Delhi-based trader named Ajay Kumar Sugandh (Accused No. 16). These esters were used to artificially spike the RM value, creating a “false positive” for pure ghee in standard lab tests. The syndicate also added Beta Carotene to replicate the golden-yellow colour of cow ghee and artificial flavouring to mimic the aroma of “danedar” (granular) ghee. The chargesheet explicitly states that the “S-value” deviations (cited by Naidu in 2024) were caused by these vegetable oils and chemical esters, not by the presence of animal tissue.
The chargesheet names and implicates 36 individuals in a conspiracy to supply adulterated ghee. The key accused is RSSVR Subrahmanyam, the former General Manager (Procurement) at TTD, who is accused of knowingly approving tenders from a blacklisted entity. Also named is Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy, an external dairy expert who allegedly provided “favourable inspection reports” to Bhole Baba dairy. The chargesheet further implicates Chinna Appanna, a former aide to the TTD Chairman, and the directors of Bhole Baba — Pomil and Vipin Jain. The investigation alleges that after Bhole Baba was blacklisted in 2022, the Jains routed the same synthetic ghee through Vyshnavi Dairy (Tirupati) and AR Dairy (Tamil Nadu) to bypass procurement restrictions.
With the revelations of the CBI chargesheet coming out, Andhra Pradesh’s Opposition, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which was in power in the state during the time of adulteration, has said that Naidu and Pawan Kalyan should apologise to former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for “false propaganda”. Rajya Sabha member of YSRCP, YV Subba Reddy, said in a press conference held in Delhi said that Tirumala is not a political platform but spiritual centre for crores of devotees and that Naidu and Kalyan should apologise for bringing politics into the mix.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
