Tirumala Ghee Scandal: Probe Uncovers Rs 50 Lakh Hawala Link to Ex-TTD Chief’s Aide
Money trail links MP's aide to tainted ghee supply.
Investigators have uncovered a Rs 50 lakh cash trail directly connecting the adulterated ghee scandal at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam to high-level political interference, with transactions allegedly involving the personal assistant of a former TTD chairman and ruling party MP. Sources revealed that K Chinnappanna, aide to YV Subba Reddy of the YSR Congress Party, received the money through hawala channels from agents tied to Uttar Pradesh-based Premier Agri Foods Pvt Ltd, raising alarming questions about oversight during the previous administration.
The cash exchanges reportedly occurred near Delhi's Patel Nagar Metro Station, with Rs 20 lakh handed over by Delhi-based agent Aman Gupta and the remaining amount from Premier Agri Foods executive Vijay Gupta. These revelations add a explosive financial dimension to the controversy that has shaken the faith of millions of devotees who consume the sacred Srivari laddu as prasadam, distributed daily to lakhs of pilgrims visiting one of India's wealthiest and most revered temples.
The joint probe ordered by the Supreme Court—comprising CBI, Andhra Pradesh Police, and food safety officials—exposed systematic fraud by four dairies that supplied 60.37 lakh kg of adulterated ghee worth Rs 240.8 crore to TTD. Bhole Baba Organic Dairy in Roorkee allegedly mixed palm oil and chemicals, routing tainted batches through Sri Vyshnavi Dairy (Rs 133.12 crore), Malganga Milk & Agro Products (Rs 73.18 crore), and AR Dairy Foods (Rs 1.61 crore), despite a 2022 Mysuru lab report confirming contamination.
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A Gujarat lab analysis of samples from Tamil Nadu's Dindigul-based AR Dairy further detected traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard in the ghee, triggering nationwide outrage last year. Though the report carried a disclaimer on possible false positives, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu publicly accused the former YSRCP government of allowing animal fats in laddu preparation—a charge that fueled political firestorms and prompted the Supreme Court to caution against mixing religion with politics.
The temple's kitchen produces around three lakh laddoos daily using 1,500 kg of ghee along with premium cashews, raisins, cardamom, gram flour, and sugar. With supplies continuing until 2024 despite early warnings, the scandal has not only exposed procurement loopholes but also alleged complicity at administrative levels, deepening concerns over the sanctity of one of Hinduism's most iconic devotional offerings.
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