Spiked Ghee Flowed In As TTD Neglected Plant Inspections for Six Years

Tirupati: Inspection of supplier premises is a mandatory part of the ghee supply system of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. CBI SIT found that no inspection was carried out for six years between 2018 and 2024. This ignored technical norm has enabled the four dairies to secure multi-crore oil tenders time and time again.

In the remand note filed before the SPE and ACB Court in Nellore, the SIT made it clear that a group of purchasing officials and external dairy experts had manipulated the necessary inspections to check good manufacturing practices (GMP). These inspections are necessary before it is decided whether dairies can qualify for financial tendering.

Despite failing to meet the standards, Bhole Baba Organic Milk, Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Products, Malganga Dairy and Agricultural Products and AR Dairy Foods remained eligible to bid for TTD’s tenders for ghee procurement every year from 2018 to 2023, the arrest note said.

The SIT specifically cited in this connection former managing directors of TTD (Supply) Peruru Jagadeeswara Reddy (A-28), RSSVR Subrahmanyam (A-29) and Pralayakaveri Murali Krishna (A-30); SV Goshala director Dr. K. Haranath Reddy (A-31) and external experts Dr. M. Mahender (A-32), Dr. V. Venkatasubramanian (A-33), M. Vijay Bhaskara Reddy (A-34), Dr. B. Surendranath (A-35) and Dr. K. Jayaraj Rao (A-36). They allegedly suppressed GMP violations, hygiene violations, documentation gaps and FSSAI licensing issues, besides changing findings to allow the impugned dairies to continue supplying ghee.

It was significant that SIT pointed out specific audits that showed how the process was bypassed. Harsh Fresh Dairy, which would later operate as Bhole Baba Organic Milk, had received permission to bid for 73,000 kg of Agmark tinned oil and 82,000 kg of cow ghee tenders on May 27, 2018 and February 18, 2019, respectively, despite not meeting the norms. On January 8, 2020 and March 15, 2021, Sri Vyshnavi Dairy and Bhole Baba were qualified for various tanker and oil can tenders.

Inspections in connection with national tenders of 25 lakh-kg (tanker-ghee) and 63,000 kg (tin-ghee) at Bhole Baba’s Bhagwanpur and Fatehpur units on December 22 and December 23, 2021, received positive reports despite technical violations. SIT said such manipulated permissions allowed supply of pure oil for the making of holy Tirumala laddu prasadam.

The SIT said some of the accused officials and dairy experts received incentives in return for their approval. According to the note, dairy expert Vijay Bhaskara Reddy reportedly received ₹ 2.5 lakh per audit from Premier Agri Foods MD Jagmohan Gupta. Surendranath and Jayaraj Rao allegedly accepted ₹50,000 mobile phone from Pomil Jain (A-3) when he visited Bhole Baba’s Bhagwanpur unit on December 22, 2021.

Former TTD GM Subrahmanyam is accused of taking silver plates worth ₹16,700, phones ₹50,000, 50 gram silver coins and ₹3.5 lakh between 2022 and 2023 and in November 2023. Two other former GMs, Jagadeeswara Reddy and Murali Krishna, allegedly received 50 grams of silver coin each. According to SIT, these incentives are closely linked to positive audit results.

The memo also detailed the role of three more employees who allegedly ensured the entry of ghee supplied by four dairies into TTD stores. Assistant P. Eswar Reddy (A-25) allegedly received ₹ 23,600 from dairies between June 2022 and November 2024. He is accused of facilitating tanker unloading, forwarding invoices and concealing the CFTRI report dated August 3, 2022, which confirmed adulteration in samples taken from three dairies.

Senior assistant M. Venkata Anil Kumar (A-26) allegedly accepted ₹59,600 and helped clear the relevant files. Bhole Baba is accused of ensuring that he received 15 per cent additional allocation in tin and tanker tenders despite being disqualified on June 6, 2022 for failing to meet GMP norms.

Former Depot assistant manager P. Venkata Natesh Babu (A-27) allegedly received ₹18,100 in cash and ₹2,000 through digital transfer from a Bhole Baba representative. He is accused of facilitating sample collection, signing stock certificates and authorizing the unloading of clarified butter.

SIT outlined that risky inspections due to financial incentives and internal facilitation allowed adulterated ghee to enter TTD stores for years, causing losses to TTD and undermining the sanctity of sacred laddus.

Featured:

Violations between 2018 and 2024:

– 27 May 2018: Sert Fresh Dairy Products (later Bhole Baba) approved the tender for 73,000 kg oil tins.

– February 18, 2019: Bhole Baba and Sri Vyshnavi approved tender for 82,000 kg tin oil; later for the tanker tender of 2.5 lakh kg.

– January 8, 2020: Inspections for 32,000 kg tin tender and 2 lakh kg AP category tanker supply have been completed again.

– March 15, 2021: Sri Vyshnavi and Bhole Baba approved the tender of 4.5 lakh kg tanker.

– December 22, 2021: Bhole Baba’s Bhagwanpur plant floats national tender for 25 lakh kg; SIT marks incentives for experts during this visit.

– June 6, 2022: Bhole Baba disqualified for failing GMP; but was later recommended for supply of 9,450 kg at ₹329.32/kg and 1.07 lakh kg at ₹329/kg.

– 2022–23: Positive reports despite earlier CFTRI warnings following investigations into tenders of 5 lakh – 10 lakh kg.

– 2024: No new inspections were listed, but participation in the tender for the supply of ghee continued due to previous approvals.