These findings were submitted to a local court in Andhra Pradesh after an accused was arrested.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the ghee adulteration case has found that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) received supplies of adulterated ghee for over five years.
According to sources, Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain, Directors of M/s Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Private Limited, who were arrested by the CBI in February, produced adulterated ghee at their plant in Bhagwanpur, near Roorkee in Uttarakhand.
The probe revealed that instead of cow ghee, the accused used adulterants such as palm oil, palm kernel oil, and palmolein, sourced from Buge Budge Company in Kolkata.
These substances were blended with a small quantity of pure ghee and mixed with chemicals like beta-carotene, acetic acid ester, and synthetic ghee flavour to pass laboratory tests and retain aroma.
These findings were submitted to a local court in Andhra Pradesh after an accused was arrested.
As part of their plan, Pomil and Vipin Jain supplied the adulterated ghee to the TTD through Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Pvt Ltd and other firms, including M/s Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialties Pvt Ltd near Srikalahasti, M/s Malganga Milk and Agro Products Pvt Ltd near Pune, and M/s AR Dairy Foods Pvt Ltd in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.
Together, these firms supplied around 60,37,351 kg of ghee worth approximately Rs 240 crore between 2019 and 2024.
Cow ghee is a key ingredient in preparing the Tirumala laddus and other prasadams, and the average daily requirement is about 15,000 kg.
No action by TTD
The SIT has also found that test reports from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, in August 2022, clearly confirmed adulteration with vegetable oil.
However, despite these findings being communicated to then TTD Chairman Y V Subba Reddy, no action was initiated against the suppliers. The CBI, in its remand report, noted that the same companies continued supplying ghee to TTD until 2024, with Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Pvt Ltd supplying until October 2022.
