The CBI has filed its final chargesheet in the Tirupati laddu adulteration case, concluding that no beef tallow or lard was used in the ghee supplied for laddu prasadam between 2019 and 2024. The chargesheet was submitted on January 23 before the Anti-Corruption Bureau court in Nellore.
The controversy had erupted in 2024 after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan alleged that the sacred Tirupati laddu was adulterated with “animal fat”, triggering widespread outrage. Following the Supreme Court’s intervention in October 2024, a CBI Special Investigation Team was constituted to probe the allegations.
According to the chargesheet, the ghee used in laddu preparation was indeed adulterated, but with vegetable oils and laboratory-made esters designed to chemically mimic dairy parameters. The investigation categorically ruled out the use of any animal fat.
The probe found that the primary supplier, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy of Bhagwanpur in Uttarakhand, operated what investigators described as a “virtual” manufacturing unit. Despite not procuring any milk or butter at its facility between 2019 and 2024, the firm supplied at least 68 kilograms of synthetically manufactured ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The total value of the adulterated ghee supplied was estimated at around ₹250 crore.
Chemical analysis by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) revealed that the adulteration was designed to bypass TTD’s quality control mechanisms. The temple relied heavily on Reichert-Meissl (RM) values—normally ranging between 24 and 28—to test ghee purity. To manipulate this, the syndicate used palm oil, palm kernel oil and palmolein sourced from Budge Budge Co. Ltd. in Kolkata.
The chargesheet details the use of Acetic Acid Esters supplied by Delhi-based trader Ajay Kumar Sugandh (Accused No. 16) to artificially raise RM values, creating false positives for pure ghee. Beta carotene was added to replicate the golden colour of cow ghee, while artificial flavouring was used to mimic the aroma of “danedar” ghee. The report clarifies that the “S-value” deviations cited by Naidu in 2024 were caused by vegetable oils and chemical esters—not animal tissue.
In all, 36 individuals have been named in the chargesheet. The key accused include RSSVR Subrahmanyam, former General Manager (Procurement) at TTD, accused of approving tenders from a blacklisted supplier; Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy, an external dairy expert alleged to have given favourable inspection reports; Chinna Appanna, a former aide to the TTD Chairman; and Bhole Baba directors Pomil and Vipin Jain. Investigators allege that after Bhole Baba was blacklisted in 2022, the same synthetic ghee was routed through Vyshnavi Dairy in Tirupati and AR Dairy in Tamil Nadu to bypass procurement restrictions.
Following the CBI’s findings, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) demanded an apology from Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, accusing them of spreading “false propaganda”. YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy said Tirumala is a spiritual centre for crores of devotees and not a political platform and criticised the leaders for dragging religious sentiments into political discourse.
