Published Feb 03, 2026 | 8:32 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 03, 2026 | 8:32 PM
Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav said all those found to be involved in the adulteration of laddu prasadam would be proceeded against.
Synopsis: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has cleared a short-term inquiry committee to review the administration of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams after a CBI probe flagged adulteration in Tirumala laddus during the previous YSRCP government. The government said the panel would focus on plugging systemic loopholes, examine the findings of the Special Investigation Team once the court takes cognisance of the charge sheet, and fix responsibility without targeting individuals.
The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has decided to constitute an inquiry committee to examine shortcomings in the administration of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), with a view to tightening systems after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation flagged adulteration in the Tirumala laddu during the previous YSRCP regime.
Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting in Amaravati on Tuesday, 3 February, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav said the proposed committee would be short-term.
“It could be for a few days, or at most a week. The Chief Minister will take a call. The objective is to plug loopholes and ensure the administration functions on sound lines,” he said.
Keshav said the inquiry committee was not meant to conduct a witch-hunt against those who previously headed the TTD.
“The aim is only to make the system foolproof. When the committee begins its work, everyone concerned will be given an opportunity to be heard, as the government does not want to take unilateral decisions. Those involved at various stages where lapses occurred must also be heard,” he said.
The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, deliberated on the report submitted by the CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the state government for nearly three hours. It decided to await the supplementary charge sheet filed by the SIT in court.
Once the court takes cognisance of the charge sheet, the government will examine it to fix responsibility for the adulteration of laddu prasadam, Keshav said.
“The Cabinet felt that all those named by the SIT in its report to the government should be treated as accused in the case. A final decision on the future course of action will be taken once the supplementary charge sheet is made available to the government,” he added.
The minister said the Cabinet was shocked to learn of deliberate attempts to favour certain companies in the award of ghee supply contracts.
This was allegedly done by diluting eligibility conditions that were in force during the TDP’s first term between 2014 and 2019.
He said that immediately after the YSRCP assumed office in 2019, the contract conditions were relaxed. Earlier, bidders were required to have the capacity to procure four lakh litres of milk, have at least three years’ experience in dairy activity, and report an annual turnover of ₹250 crore.
The new administration reduced the turnover requirement to ₹150 crore, cut the dairy experience requirement to one year, and removed the milk procurement capacity criterion altogether.
“These changes clearly enabled companies with little or no experience to enter the bidding process,” he said.
According to Keshav, as the supplier Bhole Baba did not meet the original eligibility requirements, it entered the process through Vaishnavi Dairy and secured the contract.
“The ghee supplied by Vaishnavi was found to be adulterated, as per the CFTRI [Central Food Technological Research Institute] report. In fact, the then TTD chairman, YV Subba Reddy, himself sent the samples to CFTRI for testing, even though the samples were initially cleared by TTD’s quality checks.
The CFTRI said the samples contained beta-sitosterol, which is proof of adulteration. However, no follow-up action was taken,” he said.
Keshav said all those found to be involved in the adulteration of laddu prasadam would be proceeded against after being treated as accused in the case.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s statement on 18 September 2024 that Tirumala laddus were prepared using ghee containing animal fat, Keshav said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had made the statement based on a report from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which detected traces of animal fat in samples sent to it for testing.
After the TDP returned to power in 2024, J Shyamala Rao was appointed Executive Officer of the TTD with a clear mandate to cleanse the administration, he said. As part of this process, ghee samples were sent to the NDDB. Its findings led to the constitution of the SIT.
Subsequently, on the directions of the Supreme Court, the CBI took over the leadership of the SIT, which submitted an 11-page report to the state government and filed two charge sheets in court.
The Minister said the government was focused on uncovering the truth to preserve and protect the sanctity of the Tirumala shrine and the laddu prasadam offered to devotees.
“The SIT investigation and the proposed committee are not meant to harass anyone, but only to uphold the sanctity of the shrine,” he said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
