Tirupati laddu ghee probe: SC to examine CBI director’s appeal over SIT appointment

Tirumala: The Supreme Court on Friday will hear a petition filed by the CBI Director challenging an Andhra Pradesh High Court order that faulted him for appointing an officer outside the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged adulteration of ghee used in Tirumala Tirupati Temple’s laddu prasadam.

The matter came up on Monday before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. They have sought an adjournment as the investigation was still underway.

What is the case about?

The controversy arose after the Andhra Pradesh High Court, in an order delivered by Justice Harinath N, held that officer J Venkat Rao was not part of the SIT formed by the Supreme Court in 2024. The SIT was mandated to include two CBI officers nominated by the CBI Director, two state police officers nominated by the Andhra Pradesh government, and a senior Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) official.

According to LiveLaw, the High Court ruled that since Rao was not specifically nominated as part of this team, he could not conduct the investigation or issue notices.

The order came in response to a plea filed by Kaduru Chinnappanna, who alleged that Rao, while posing as part of the SIT, issued multiple summons to him and coerced him into making scripted statements on camera.

Chinnappanna sought a direction for a free and fair investigation by the SIT as per the Supreme Court’s original mandate.

The top court will now decide whether the CBI Director acted in violation of its earlier order by permitting Rao to participate in the probe.

Laddu Row

In February, a CBI special investigation team (SIT) has arrested four people in connection with the alleged adulteration of the Tirupati laddus offered as prasadam to devotees at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.

The accused have been identified as Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy; Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy.

According to the officials, Vaishnavi Dairy officials secured tenders under the name of AR Dairy to supply ghee to the temple. They were involved in creating fake records to manipulate the tender process. Fake records were created, claiming to have sourced ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy in Roorkee. Authorities found that Bhole Baba Dairy did not have the capacity to supply such a huge quantity of ghee.

The issue was raised after CM Naidu came to power

This case came to light when Andhra Pradesh CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu, in September 2024, stated that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime in the state.

Samples sent for testing

According to officials, TTD approximately uses 15,000 kg of ghee daily for preparing Tirupati laddus. AR Dairy had secured a tender to supply ghee at Rs 320 per kg. On July 8, eight tankers of ghee were delivered, and samples from four tankers were sent for testing.

A report from the Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) lab at Gujarat’s National Dairy Development Board indicated the ghee contained traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard (a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig).

The sample receipt date was July 9, 2024, and the lab report was dated July 16.

SIT formed

In its October order, the Supreme Court instructed the CBI to investigate the allegations under the direct supervision of the CBI Director.

On the orders of the Supreme Court, the CBI set up a five-member SIT in November 2024 to investigate the allegations of the use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus. The team comprised two officers from the central agency, two from Andhra Pradesh Police, and one from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).