SIT Arrests 4 People In Connection With Tirupati Laddu Adulteration Case

A CBI-led SIT has arrested four people in connection with allegations of animal fat adulteration in Tirupati laddus.

In the latest development, a special investigation team led by the CBI has arrested four people in the case related to alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddus, officials said. 

The CBI set up a five-member SIT in November last year, on the orders of Supreme Court, to investigate the allegations of the use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus.

As per the details, those arrested include Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, news agency PTI reported.

An official confirmed this news on Sunday and said, "Four people have been arrested. Two persons (Bipin Jain and Pomi Jain) were of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda of Vaihsnavi Dairy and (Raju) Rajasekharan of AR Dairy."

Sources claimed that the probe by the SIT has revealed serious violations at every step of ghee supply, leading to the arrests.

It has been said that Vaishnavi Dairy officials secured tenders under the name of AR Dairy to supply ghee to the temple and were also involved in creating fake records to manipulate the tender process.

The SIT discovered that Vaishnavi Dairy had falsely claimed that it sourced ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy. However, the authorities found that the latter did not possess the capacity to meet the temple board Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's demand, according to the sources.

The special team consisted of two officers each from the central agency and Andhra Pradesh Police, and one from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

In its October 4 order, the Supreme court, after hearing the petitions by BJP leader Subramaniya Swamy and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy, among others, said the probe into the allegation of using animal fat in making the laddu would be conducted by the SIT and will be supervised by the CBI director.

The issue gained attention when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in September 2024 claimed that the ghee used in the preparation of the Trupati laddus, during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in the state, was adulterated with animal fat.