In a dramatic escalation of the Tirumala Laddu adulteration probe, former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Executive Officer A.V. Dharma Reddy was summoned and extensively questioned by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team on Tuesday at their Tirupati office, marking the highest-ranking official yet to face scrutiny in the Rs 250 crore ghee fraud that tainted millions of sacred prasadams distributed to devotees worldwide.

The SIT’s remand report, submitted to the Nellore ACB court, exposed a shocking five-year operation from 2019 to 2024 during which an Uttarakhand-based dairy supplier allegedly delivered 68 lakh kilograms of counterfeit ghee without ever purchasing a single litre of milk or butter. Instead, the fraudulent product was manufactured using cheap palm oil, palm kernel oil, and industrial chemicals like acetic acid ester, deliberately calibrated to falsify the Reichert-Meissl purity test and bypass TTD’s laboratory checks.

Investigators revealed that the adulterated ghee was systematically integrated into the preparation of Tirupati’s world-famous laddus, compromising the spiritual sanctity of offerings consumed by lakhs of pilgrims daily. The scale of the deception suggests deep institutional failures in procurement protocols, contract approvals, and quality assurance mechanisms, all of which occurred under the watch of the former EO, who is now under intense interrogation regarding his role in vendor selection and oversight lapses.

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The probe gained momentum following the recent arrest of Chinna Appanna, former personal assistant to ex-TTD Chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy, who allegedly manipulated tender processes to favor unqualified dairies in exchange for kickbacks. Sources indicate that Y.V. Subba Reddy himself will soon receive summons as the SIT works to dismantle the entire chain of command responsible for allowing industrial chemicals to enter one of Hinduism’s most revered temple kitchens.

With public outrage mounting over the desecration of a symbol of divine purity, the investigation represents a critical test for institutional accountability at Tirumala. The SIT remains determined to expose every layer of complicity, ensuring that those who betrayed devotee faith through greed and negligence are brought to justice, regardless of their former positions of power.

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