CBI arrests 4 in Tirupati laddoos adulteration row: What we know so far

Tirupati laddoo adulteration case: Dairy chiefs arrested, here are the allegations against them and a timeline of events

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four individuals for adulterating ghee used in the sacred Tirupati laddoo at Lord Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. Those arrested include Pomil Jain and Bipin Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy in Roorkee; Apoorva Vinay Kant Chawda, chief executive of Vaishnavi Dairy in Poonambakkam; and Raju Rajasekharan, managing director of AR Dairy in Dundigal.

 

How was the adultarration allegedly carried out?

According to the CBI's findings, the adulteration scheme was allegedly orchestrated through fraudulent supply contracts.

 

Vaishnavi Dairy CEO Apoorva Chawda

Vaishnavi Dairy, played a key role in securing tenders for supplying ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple trust responsible for the laddoo’s preparation. However, instead of providing pure ghee, the representative allegedly arranged for an adulterated version, blending it with animal fat and low-quality substitutes. Vaishnavi Dairy’s CEO Apoorva Chawda has been arrested.

 

AR Dairy MD Raju Rajasekharan

To conceal the fraud, AR Dairy falsely claimed that the ghee was being sourced from Bhole Baba Dairy in Roorkee. AR Dairy Managing Director Raju Rajasekharan has been arrested by the CBI.

 

Ex-directors of Bhole Baba Dairy Pomil & Bipin Jain

This was done to add legitimacy to the supply, as Bhole Baba Dairy was an established brand. However, Pomil Jain and Bipin Jain, the former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, were allegedly complicit in this deception. Though their dairy lacked the capacity to produce the massive quantity of ghee required for the temple, these former directors have been accused of allowing their brand name to be misused in exchange for financial gains.

 

Allegations of animal fat adulteration

The scandal erupted last year when the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government alleged that animal fat had been mixed into the ghee used to prepare the Tirupati laddoos. This claim triggered a nationwide outrage and led to demands for a thorough investigation.

 

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the temple, uses around 15,000 litres of ghee daily for laddoo preparation. AR Foods from Tamil Nadu had won a tender to supply ghee at Rs 320 per kg. However, when eight tankers carrying ghee arrived at the temple, four were sent for laboratory testing.

 

In November, the Supreme Court ordered the CBI to investigate the allegations, following petitions by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy. The CBI formed a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT’s probe revealed serious violations in ghee supply contracts during the tenure of the previous YSRCP government (2014-2019), when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was chief minister.

 

Timeline of Tirupati laddoo adulteration case

July 8, 2024: Eight tankers of ghee supplied by AR Foods from Tamil Nadu arrived at Tirumala. Four of these tankers were sent to laboratories for testing.

 

July 17, 2024: The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Lab confirmed the presence of adulterated substances in the ghee samples.

 

September 18, 2024: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the ghee used for making Tirupati laddoo during the YSR Congress Party’s rule was adulterated with animal fat. This statement triggered widespread outrage among devotees.

 

October 1, 2024: The Andhra Pradesh state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations.

 

October 4, 2024: The Supreme Court intervenes, disbanding the state SIT and ordering the formation of a new SIT comprising both central and state officials.

 

November 28-29, 2024: The new SIT included members from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), led by CBI Hyderabad Division Joint Director Viresh Prabhu begin investigation.

 

The SIT conducted inspections at Tirumala, Tirupati, and AR Dairy’s facility in Tamil Nadu. They discovered multiple irregularities involving AR Dairy, which had a contract with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).

 

[With agency inputs]