Representational picture solely. File | Photograph Credit score: The Hindu
Even because the Particular Investigation Workforce (SIT) led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case, it has been estimated {that a} whopping 20.1 crore laddus out of the 48.76 crore distributed or offered to 11 crore devotees who visited the well-known Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala in the course of the interval 2019-2024 had been fabricated from spurious ghee, in line with Mr. BR Naidu, chairman, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Belief Board.
The sensational problem has shaken the TTD and damage the spiritual sentiments of Hindus, over allegations of using impure/spurious ghee for the Prasadam thought of sacred by the devotees.
Easy mathematical calculations based mostly on the laddu manufacturing and sale figures from the TTD’s kitchen and distribution counters and compilation of the each day pilgrim footfall figures, apart from the procurement particulars arrived at by the SIT from the ghee supplying corporations have introduced mind-boggling info to the fore.
The SIT has concluded that Bhole Baba dairy of Uttarakhand, its ‘shell’ dairies and subsidiaries have collectively equipped 68 lakh kg of spurious ghee fabricated from a mix of palm oil, palm kernel and different poisonous substances, estimated to be price almost ₹250 crore, to the TTD for preparation of ‘Srivari Laddu’ in the course of the stated interval.
“In response to the TTD’s advertising data, the overall procurement of ghee from a number of dairies for these 5 years was 1.61 crore kg price ₹534.7 crore, out of which the SIT probe discovered 68 lakh kg purchased from Bhole Baba and its proxies as spurious, amounting to just about 42% of the overall procured inventory,” stated Mr. BR Naidu on Friday (November 21, 2025) in an off-the-cuff interplay with The Hindu,
Laddu recipe
The age-old recipe for the sacred laddu strictly makes use of substances corresponding to Bengal gram flour, ghee, sugar, cashew nuts, raisins, cardamom and sugar sweet in a pre-determined proportion, which is rarely altered to keep up consistency and the style. On a median, the potu (temple kitchen) produces 3.5 lakh laddus each day, weighing 175 gm every, utilizing 11,500 kg of ghee, whereas the overall sale figures for the stated interval was pegged at 48.76 crore laddus.
The Tirumala shrine was visited by 10.97 crore devotees throughout June 2019-June 2024, however the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a severe bearing on the arrival figures. It’s now clear that the ten.97 crore guests had acquired/bought roughly 48.76 crore laddus.
“As almost 11 crore devotees visited Tirumala throughout these 5 years in query, it isn’t potential to determine who acquired the laddus fabricated from spurious ghee and who obtained the pure ones,” remarked the TTD belief board chairman BR Naidu.
Echoing an analogous view, TTD board member and BJP spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy reiterated that whoever resorted to the heinous act of supplying spurious ghee for making the laddu prasadam needs to be delivered to e-book.
Revealed – November 21, 2025 04:46 pm IST