New Delhi, Feb 10: A Tirupati court has remanded four individuals to judicial custody until February 20 in connection with the alleged adulteration of laddus served as ‘prasadam’ at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple. The accused include Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy, and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, which supplied the dairy products used in making these iconic sweets.
The court proceedings on Monday resulted in their remand following arrests made by a special investigation team (SIT) under the direction of the CBI. Sources indicate that the SIT discovered serious infractions throughout the ghee supply process, prompting the arrests. Allegations include that Vaishnavi Dairy won bids under AR Dairy’s name and created false documentation to manipulate tender submissions.
The investigation revealed that Vaishnavi Dairy had misrepresented sourcing ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy, which lacked the capacity to fulfill the demands of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, according to officials.
In response to allegations of animal fat being used in the preparation of the laddus, the Supreme Court ordered the establishment of a five-member SIT in November 2024. The team consists of two officers from the CBI, two from the Andhra Pradesh Police, and one from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
On October 4, 2024, the apex court designated the SIT to oversee the investigation into the laddu preparation allegations, which were raised in petitions by BJP leader Subramaniya Swamy and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu claimed in September that the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration had used animal fat in the laddus, igniting a political uproar.
At an NDA legislative party meeting in southern India in 2024, Naidu alleged that the former YSRCP government compromised the integrity of the Sri Venkateswara Temple by using substandard ingredients, including animal fat, in laddu preparation. These allegations have sparked significant controversy nationwide. (PTI)
