Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Pvt Ltd, a firm previously blacklisted by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), allegedly continued to supply adulterated ghee to the Lord Venkateswara Temple via proxy companies.
The temple was reportedly receiving ghee through Vaishnavi Dairy and AR Dairy, despite Bhole Baba Dairy’s disqualification from tender processes in 2022 due to “not satisfactory” manufacturing practices, The Indian Express reported citing the remand report.
The remand report, filed against four individuals including former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy and executives from Vaishnavi and AR Dairies, highlights these allegations.
It further mentions that Bhole Baba Dairy, prior to its disqualification, supplied ghee to the TTD at Rs 291 per kg until 2022. Despite its blacklisting, the company allegedly helped its proxies, Vaishnavi Dairy and AR Dairy, to continue the supply by assisting in the tender process, including the fabrication of documents.
Vaishnavi Dairy had won a tender to supply ghee in 2020, while AR Dairy allegedly secured a tender in March 2024 through document fabrication, the report indicates.
The investigation revealed that AR Dairy was supposed to supply Agmark standard ghee but allegedly delivered adulterated products instead. The ghee was procured from Vaishnavi Dairy, which in turn sourced it from the blacklisted Bhole Baba Dairy.
This has raised concerns about the integrity of the supply chain and the quality of the ghee used in the temple’s offerings. The TTD, which uses 15,000 kilograms of ghee for its famous laddu prasadam, now faces scrutiny over the procurement process.
This case has drawn political attention in Andhra Pradesh, with the Telugu Desam Party criticising the previous government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy for “playing with the most pious of offerings in Tirupati.”
The investigation into these allegations is being conducted by a five-member team that includes officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Andhra Pradesh government, and the Food Safety Standards Authority of India.
