The accused include Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Uttarakhand-based Bhole Baba Dairy; Apoorva Vinay Kant Chawda, CEO of Vaishnavi Dairy; and Raju Rajasekharan, managing director of Tamil Nadu’s AR Dairy.
Published Feb 10, 2025 | 8:42 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 12, 2025 | 12:05 AM
Tirupati Laddu. (X)
The CBI arrested four individuals linked to a high-profile investigation into the alleged adulteration of cow ghee used to prepare the laddu prasadam at the renowned Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh, sources said on Monday, 10 February.
The arrests, made by a Supreme Court-mandated Special Investigation Team (SIT), have uncovered systemic fraud in the procurement of ghee, sparking outrage among devotees and political circles.
The accused include Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Uttarakhand-based Bhole Baba Dairy; Apoorva Vinay Kant Chawda, CEO of Vaishnavi Dairy; and Raju Rajasekharan, managing director of Tamil Nadu’s AR Dairy. CBI Joint Director Viresh Prabhu oversaw the proceedings. AR Dairy’s supply was rejected by the TTD after it failed quality standards.
The SIT probe revealed that Vaishnavi Dairy colluded with AR Dairy to manipulate tenders for supplying ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which requires 15,000 kg of cow ghee daily for laddu production.
Investigations exposed forged seals, falsified records, and a scheme where Vaishnavi Dairy allegedly secured contracts under AR Dairy’s name.
Notably, Bhole Baba Dairy — listed as a supplier — reportedly lacked the capacity to meet the demanded quantities.
The scandal came to light in July 2024 after lab tests confirmed impurities in four tankers of ghee supplied by AR Dairy, which had won a tender at ₹320 per kg. The tankers were rejected by the TTD and sent back. TTD’s officials maintained that the impure ghee was neither accepted by the temple nor used in the preparation of laddus.
On July 8, eight tankers of ghee arrived from AR Dairy, and four tankers were sent to labs for testing after initial procedural tests showed suspicious findings from them.
On July 17, NDDB Lab reports confirmed adulteration of impure substances in the ghee and the consignment was rejected, according to TTD officials.
The CBI-led SIT’s findings validated allegations of impurities in ghee supplied to TTD. However, the TTD had rejected consignment from AR dairy. The findings are yet to validate claims by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who accused the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government of permitting animal fat in the laddus — a charge that ignited a political firestorm.
The SIT, formed in November 2024 on the Supreme Court’s orders, comprises CBI officials, Andhra Pradesh Police, and representatives of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The court intervened following petitions by BJP leader Subramaniya Swamy and YSR Congress MP YV Subba Reddy, who demanded accountability in the revered temple’s prasadam process.
Authorities emphasised that the investigation remains ongoing, with efforts to trace accountability across the supply chain.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
