The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board was aware of vegetable oil adulteration in cow ghee used for laddu prasadam as early as mid-2022 but failed to take corrective or punitive action, according to findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.
Confrontation statements recorded by the SIT show that TTD had sent four ghee samples drawn from supply tankers to the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru in May 2022. The move was reportedly made on oral instructions from then TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy after routine in-house tests cleared the consignments.
Laboratory reports from CFTRI, received on August 3, 2022, showed that all four samples tested positive for beta-sitosterol. B. Surendranath, an expert member of TTD’s ghee committee, later told investigators that the presence of beta-sitosterol is a confirmatory indicator of vegetable oil adulteration.
SIT records indicate that the CFTRI report, along with Surendranath’s remarks, was personally presented to the chairman at his camp office in Tirumala. However, no warnings were issued, no suppliers were penalised, and no tenders were cancelled.
According to the SIT, Subba Reddy instead sought external verification of cow ghee supplied by multiple dairies.
In his statement, Surendranath told investigators that he was repeatedly contacted by RSSVR Subrahmanyam, then TTD general manager (procurement), after the CFTRI report was received. He was allegedly urged not to explicitly describe the ghee as “adulterated” because the consignments had already been consumed for laddu preparation, a formal declaration could harm TTD’s reputation, beta-sitosterol was not part of the tender specifications at the time, and action against suppliers could disrupt ghee supply and halt laddu production.
Surendranath said that although he stood by the scientific conclusion, he eventually worded his remarks cautiously and avoided a categorical declaration of adulteration.
TTD officials have maintained that beta-sitosterol became a mandatory Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) parameter only from July 1, 2022, after the samples were drawn. However, the SIT questioned why the chairman ordered CFTRI testing if the parameter was not considered relevant at the time.
The SIT observed that commissioning an external laboratory test and then ignoring its findings undermines the purpose of quality control. The CFTRI report also contradicted TTD’s internal laboratory results, which had earlier cleared the samples.
Separately, allegations have surfaced against Subrahmanyam, who is accused of receiving cash and silver articles from agents linked to ghee suppliers to influence tenders and bill clearances. While he has denied most of the charges, he admitted to receiving silver items described as “complimentary gifts,” which were later seized by investigators.
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