The former head of the temple board has been questioned in the case of fake ghee being used in the laddu prasad offered at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam in Andhra Pradesh. The investigating agency on Tuesday arrested former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) chief A.V. in the alleged Tirumala ghee adulteration case. Inquired Dharma Reddy.
In fact, the team constituted by the Supreme Court during investigation found that adulterated ghee was allegedly used in the preparation of the sacred Tirupati Laddu Prasadam at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh. Former head of Tirupati temple A.V. Dharma Reddy, who was serving as the Executive Officer (EO) of TTD, appeared before the SIT office in Tirupati for a detailed investigation into the case.
68 lakh kilograms of fake ghee
According to the investigating agency, TTD received an estimated 68 lakh kilograms of adulterated ghee worth around Rs 250 crore over the five-year period from 2019 to 2024. A detailed investigation in the remand report submitted to the Nannellore ACB court revealed that the primary supplier – a dairy based in Uttarakhand – had managed to deliver such a huge quantity of ghee without purchasing a single drop of milk or butter.
The “ghee” was reportedly synthesized using industrial chemicals such as palm oil, palm kernel oil and acetic acid esters, in order to manipulate the purity test (Reichert-Miesel value) and evade the quality checks of the TTD.
mass adulteration
It is noteworthy that former EO A.V. Adulteration took place on a large scale during Dharma Reddy’s tenure. A new twist has emerged in the investigation after the recent arrest of Chinna Appanna, a former personal assistant and aide of former TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy. Appanna is accused of allegedly playing a key role in awarding contracts to ineligible dairies and rigging the tender processes. Now former EO A.V. Dharam Reddy is being interrogated.
SIT can issue notice
The SIT can also issue a notice to former TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy for questioning in this case. The agency aims to trace the entire chain of command responsible for the lapses in procurement and quality control that allegedly compromised the sanctity of the widely revered prasadam.