TTD Board Chairman BR Naidu at a media conference in Tirupati on Friday.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board chairman BR Naidu said the final charge sheet filed in court by a special investigation team led by the Central Bureau of Investigation clearly accused the erstwhile board of malpractices in the ghee procurement process.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said the SIT’s investigation was not yet complete or conclusive and appealed to the probe agency to conduct a thorough probe into the alleged financial transactions involving crores of rupees credited to certain bank accounts. Although the SIT has traced the money trail up to a certain level, Mr. Naidu said the investigation should be widened further to identify the key beneficiaries behind the alleged irregularities.
Condemning the attempts to deceive the devotees by claiming that the accused was given a clean brush, he said the prosecution had clearly established that the synthetic substance was obtained in the name of ghee and used in the preparation of the sacred Tirumala Laddus offered as Naivedyam at the Sri Venkateswara Temple.
Among the irregularities pointed out by the SIT was relaxation of tender conditions in favor of selected firms while contracts were awarded to companies that lacked the required capacity and infrastructure, he noted. During the previous regime, about 60 million kg of synthetic ghee worth nearly ₹ 250 million was procured for the preparation of Laddu Prasadam, he said, adding that laboratory reports submitted by the National Milk Development Board confirmed the presence of animal fat in some of the samples tested.
“The ghee supplied during the previous tenure contained hazardous substances, including certain deadly chemicals that could adversely affect human health. Some dairies were handpicked purely for commission reasons,” Mr. Naidu said.
Citing statistics based on the purchase of ghee over a five-year period, he said nearly 20 million Laddus were prepared using adulterated ghee. He said that this meant not only a serious desecration of the sanctity of Tirumala but also a serious health hazard to the devotees who ate the Prasadam. In response to media queries, he demanded micro DNA testing to conclusively ascertain the quantity and origin of the ghee used.
Published – 30 Jan 2026 21:22 IST
