Tirupati Temple Scandal: 20 Crore Sacred Laddoos Made With Adulterated Ghee Between 2019-2024

According to Tirupati temple authorities, approximately 20 crore laddoos were prepared using adulterated ghee at the sacred Tirupati shrine. This represents a significant portion of the total 48.76 crore laddoos distributed during the 2019-2024 period, as confirmed by BR Naidu, chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board that oversees the renowned Sri Venkateshwara temple.

These concerning figures were calculated based on daily visitor numbers, procurement records, and production and sales data at the temple.

The adulteration scandal emerged last year, causing distress among hundreds of thousands of devotees who hold the prasad in high religious regard. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Central Bureau of Investigation is now conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.

Investigators have discovered that approximately 68 lakh kg of compromised ghee—contaminated with palm oil, palm kernel oil, and other harmful substances—valued at around Rs 250 crore, was provided by Uttarakhand's Bhole Baba Dairy and its associated shell companies.

During this five-year period, an estimated 11 crore devotees visited the temple. Sources indicate there is no mechanism to determine which visitors received laddoos made with the adulterated ghee.

The TTD has confirmed that even laddoos prepared for VVIPs could not be distinguished from those potentially containing adulterated ingredients.

Recently, the SIT questioned former TTD chairman and YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy for eight hours regarding the case. When asked why ghee tankers were permitted despite laboratory detection of adulterants in the samples, he maintained that the report was never presented to him and that procurement followed the recommendations of the technical committee.

His former assistant, Chinna Appanna, has been taken into custody.

The SIT has also interrogated former TTD Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy. The investigation team has submitted its key findings to a court in Nellore, with a supplementary chargesheet expected to be filed by December 15.