ttd-knew-of-tirupati-laddu-ghee-adulteration-took-no-step-sit

Recent revelations from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) have thrown a bombshell in the Tirumala laddu scandal, indicating that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board was aware of the vegetable oil adulteration in their ghee as early as mid-2022. The board allegedly decided to keep the information under wraps despite having the lab results in their possession.

 

The SIT probe unearths that as early as May 2022, former TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy had directed the dispatch of four samples of ghee to the CFTRI in Mysuru. This was already a tad fishy, since TTD’s own laboratories had already cleared the very same tankers of any contamination. When the test results came back in August 2022, all four samples had tested positive for beta-sitosterol, a compound that is a “smoking gun” for vegetable oil adulteration, according to experts such as TTD committee member Dr B Surendranath.

 

According to witness statements, these findings were hand-delivered to the Chairman’s office in Tirumala, but the files effectively vanished into thin air. No suppliers were blacklisted, no fines were issued, and the tenders continued as if nothing was wrong.

 

The testimony of Dr Surendranath is particularly damning. He told investigators that he was pressured by the then-General Manager of Procurement, RSSVR Subrahmanyam, to soften his language. The reasoning given was allegedly that the "adulterated" ghee had already been used to make laddus and telling the truth would "damage TTD’s reputation." Officials also argued at the time that beta-sitosterol wasn't a mandatory FSSAI parameter yet, so they couldn't legally penalise the dairies— an excuse the SIT is now questioning, given that the Chairman himself had gone out of his way to test for it.

 

Adding another twist to the controversy, the SIT is probing allegations of bribery against Subrahmanyam. He has been accused of accepting money and silver goods from agents of the ghee companies in return for settling bills and influencing tenders. Although he has denied the charge of accepting money, he had admitted to accepting silver "gifts," which have now been seized by the SIT.

 

It now appears the "laddu crisis" wasn't just a failure of testing, but a deliberate decision to look the other way to keep the production line moving and avoid a public relations disaster.

 

Also read: TTD EO transferred after chargesheet filed in Tirupati ghee case