Tirupati Official Arrested in TTD Laddu Ghee Adulteration Case, SIT Investigation Expands

Tirupati, Nov 2025 : The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested a serving official of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) in connection with the ongoing laddu ghee adulteration case. The official, RSSVR Subrahmanyam, a senior member of the TTD Engineering Department, was taken into custody by the SIT, which is being led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Subrahmanyam, who had previously served as General Manager (Procurement) at TTD, was responsible for sourcing critical materials for temple operations, including ghee used in preparing the famous laddu prasadam. Sarvasresti Tripathi, a member of the SIT and Guntur Range Inspector General, confirmed that Subrahmanyam was arrested on the basis of evidence linking him to irregularities in ghee procurement.

The SIT produced Subrahmanyam before the ACB Court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 15 days. He is the 29th accused in the case, and notably, the first serving TTD official to be arrested. With his arrest, a total of nine individuals have now been held in connection with the case.

According to the SIT, Subrahmanyam was part of the technical team tasked with inspecting ghee manufacturing units. He allegedly provided quality certificates to certain units in exchange for bribes from private suppliers. Investigators also revealed a nexus between TTD’s marketing wing and private dairy owners, uncovered through statements of other accused individuals.

The investigation has seen SIT questioning high-profile TTD officials. Former TTD chairman and YSR Congress Parliamentary Party leader YV Subba Reddy was recently questioned about the alleged use of adulterated ghee during his tenure. Additionally, former TTD executive officer A. V. Dharma Reddy was interrogated regarding lapses in supplier verification, procurement procedures, and quality control measures. He was specifically questioned about how Bhole Baba Dairy, blacklisted in 2022, allegedly continued supplying ghee via proxy firms.

The SIT’s findings indicate a massive scale of adulteration. Between 2019 and 2024, around 20 crore laddus were prepared using adulterated ghee. Out of 48.76 crore laddus made during this period, nearly 40% were found to contain palm oil, palm kernel oil, and other chemical additives.

Further investigation revealed that Bhole Baba Organic Dairy of Uttarakhand did not procure milk or butter from any legitimate sources yet supplied 68 lakh kilograms of ghee to TTD through proxy firms such as Nellore-based Vyshnavi Dairy, Maharashtra-based Mal Ganga Dairy, and Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy. The promoters allegedly established a fake ghee manufacturing unit to supply spurious ghee valued at Rs 250 crore for laddu prasadam production.

The SIT has also arrested individuals associated with the scheme, including Ajay Kumar Sugandh, who supplied chemicals to Bhole Baba Dairy, and K Chinna Appanna, a close aide of Subba Reddy. Appanna, who served as Subba Reddy’s personal assistant from 2014 to 2024, allegedly played a crucial role in awarding contracts to ineligible dairies.

The laddu ghee scandal surfaced after the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition came to power in June 2024. A state-appointed SIT was initially constituted in September 2024, but following petitions challenging its formation, the Supreme Court ordered in October 2024 the creation of a new, independent five-member SIT. The current SC-appointed SIT includes two CBI officers, two senior Andhra Pradesh police officers, and one official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The investigation continues to unfold, highlighting serious lapses in procurement processes and quality checks at one of India’s most revered religious institutions.