The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed the final chargesheet in the Tirupati laddu adulteration case and found that there was no beef tallow or lard in the ghee used to make prasadam laddus between 2019 and 2024, the Indian Express reported on January 30.
The charge sheet was filed on January 23 at the Nellore Anti-Corruption Bureau court.
The ghee used for making laddu was adulterated with vegetable oils and laboratory esters used to chemically mimic the parameters of milk, the record sheet said. She did not find that animal fat was used.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Friday demanded that former chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu either confess or clarify his remarks on alleged Tirupati laddu adulteration, saying the comments have hurt the sentiments of devotees across the world.
The YSRCP was in power in the state at the time of the forgery.
Naidu and his deputy CM Pawan Kalyan created a major political row in 2024 by claiming that the sacred Tirupati laddu was adulterated with “animal fat”. After the Supreme Court’s intervention in October 2024, a special CBI investigation team was set up to probe the matter.
An Indian Express report said the record sheet revealed that the primary supplier, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, based in Bhagwanpur, Uttarakhand, was running a “virtual” manufacturing unit.
The probe revealed that while the dairy did not procure any milk or butter from its facility between 2019 and 2024, it managed to supply at least 68 kilograms of ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the Venkateswara temple. Ghee, made synthetically without milk, was valued at approx ₹250 million, he said.
The prosecution alleged the addition of acetic acid esters, supplied specifically by a Delhi businessman named Ajay Kumar Sugandh (accused no. 16). These esters were used to artificially increase the RM value, creating “false positives” in pure ghee in standard laboratory tests.
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) State Coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Friday demanded that the issue be taken seriously and Chandrababu Naidu be held accountable for what he termed as an irresponsible statement.
The YSRCP demands that Chandrababu either own his remarks about adulteration of laddu with animal fat or issue a categorical statement in light of lab reports stating that no animal fat was found in the laddu.
An inquiry was launched after his remarks on forgery hurt the sentiments of devotees.
“The propaganda machine and Chandrababu keep trying to claim and re-accuse that all the tampering was done only during 2019-24 instead of accepting the mistake. They keep trying to pick holes and level baseless allegations just to cover up his folly,” Reddy said.
Reddy claimed that the chief minister “owes an explanation” as the investigation was initiated after his remarks on forgery. “Which hurt the sentiments of the devotees,” the YSRCP leader added.
