SIT Expands Investigation: 11 More Officials Named in Tirupati Temple Laddu Adulteration Scandal

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Tirumala Tirupati laddu prasadam ghee adulteration case has expanded its list of accused, adding 11 more individuals to the FIR.

On Saturday, the SIT included seven Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) employees among the newly accused. The list encompasses former general managers, engineers, and various administrative staff members.

The additional TTD accused include former general manager Jagadeeshwara Reddy, retired general manager Pranay Kaveri Muralikrishna, deputy executive officer Polepalli Venkata Natesh Babu, superintendent engineer Peruru Jagadishwar Reddy, executive engineer Rallapalli Srinivas, senior assistant Muddu Venkata Anil Kumar, and junior assistant Palle Eeshwar Reddy.

The acceptance of SIT's memo by the Nellore Anti-Corruption Bureau court has created significant tension within the TTD organization.

Former TTD Executive Engineer Subrahmanyam, who previously served as a General Manager of the TTD procurement wing, has been arrested by the SIT. This brings the total number of arrests in the case to 10.

According to investigators, Subrahmanyam played a crucial role in approving contracts for counterfeit ghee supplies. The SIT alleges that he and another arrested accused, Chinna Appanna, collectively received a commission of Rs 25 per kilogram from contractors who provided adulterated ghee to the TTD.

The SIT's charge memo reveals that between 2019 and 2024, approximately 20.01 crore laddus were produced using adulterated ghee. Of the total 48.76 crore laddus made during this period, nearly 40 percent contained palm oil, palm kernel oil, and chemical additives.

During these years, the TTD paid approximately Rs 250 crore to suppliers including Bhole Baba Dairy (Uttarakhand), AR Dairy (Tamil Nadu), Vaishnavi Dairy (Tirupati district), and Malganga Dairy (Uttar Pradesh).

From these sources, the TTD procured 1.61 crore kilograms of ghee, with about 68 lakh kilograms identified as adulterated. The investigation revealed that certain suppliers, including Bhole Baba Dairy, continued providing fake ghee even after being blacklisted in 2022 by altering company names and supply routes.

The Tirumala temple produces approximately 4 lakh laddus daily, utilizing 12,000 to 13,000 kg of ghee. SIT officials state that specific officials in the procurement wing knowingly approved the adulterated ghee.

Recently, the SIT also questioned former TTD Chairman and YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy at his residence in Hyderabad. His former personal assistant Chinna Appanna is already in custody and is believed to be a key figure in the scandal.