No beef tallow, lard in Tirupati laddus, says CBI chargesheet; YSRCP demands CM Naidu's clarification

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed its final chargesheet in the Tirupati laddu adulteration case and found that there was no beef tallow or lard in the ghee used to make the laddu prasadam between 2019 and 2024, the Indian Express reported on 30 January.

The chargesheet was filed on 23 January before the Anti-Corruption Bureau court in Nellore.

The ghee used for laddu preparation was adulterated with vegetable oils and laboratory esters used to chemically mimic dairy parameters, the chargesheet said. It did not find that animal fat was used.

YSR Congress Party's (YSRCP) on Friday demanded that former Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu should either own up to or clarify his remarks alleging adulteration in the Tirupati laddu, stating that the comments had hurt the sentiments of devotees across the globe.

The YSRCP was in power in the state during the time of adulteration.

Naidu and his deputy CM Pawan Kalyan had in 2024 sparked a major political row by alleging that the sacred Tirupati laddu had been adulterated with “animal fat”. A CBI special investigation team was set up to probe the matter following the Supreme Court's intervention in October 2024.

The chargesheet, the Indian Express report says, reveals that the primary supplier, Bhole Baba Organic Dairy, based in Bhagwanpur, Uttarakhand, operated a “virtual” manufacturing unit.

The probe revealed that while the dairy procured no milk or butter at its facility between 2019 and 2024, it managed to supply at least 68 kilograms of ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which runs the Venkateswara temple. The ghee, manufactured synthetically without milk, was valued at approximately ₹250 crore, it said.

The chargesheet said the addition of Acetic Acid Esters, supplied specifically by a Delhi-based trader named Ajay Kumar Sugandh (Accused No. 16). These esters were used to artificially spike the RM value, creating a “false positive” for pure ghee in standard lab tests.

YSR Congress Party's (YSRCP) State Co-ordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Friday demanded the issue should be taken seriously and that Chandrababu Naidu should be held accountable for what he termed an irresponsible statement.

The YSRCP has demanded that Chandrababu either own his remarks about adulteration of the laddu with animal fat or issue a categorical statement in light of the lab reports, which state that no animal fat was found in the laddus.

"The propaganda machinery and Chandrababu are still trying to maintain and again blame that all the adulteration was done only during 2019-24 instead of accepting the mistake. They are still trying to pick holes and level baseless allegations only to cover up his foolhardiness," Reddy said.

Reddy alleged that the Chief Minister "owes an explanation" as the investigation was started after his remarks on the adulteration. "Which has hurt the sentiments of the devotees," the YSRCP leader added.