A single-member commission probing the 2024 ghee adulteration scandal at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has found serious lapses on the part of former senior officials, holding former Additional Executive Officer (EO) A V Dharma Reddy primarily responsible for compromising quality standards in ghee procurement used for preparing the revered Srivari Laddu.
The commission, headed by retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar, has concluded that Dharma Reddy relaxed key tender norms, which ultimately led to the selection of ineligible and fraudulent suppliers. The report states that he failed to adequately assess the qualifications, credibility, operational capacity, and quality assurance mechanisms of the firms awarded contracts.
The panel has recommended disciplinary action against Reddy, citing “gross negligence” in the discharge of his duties. It noted that his decisions during his tenure—from July 2019 to June 2024, including his period as full-time EO—were at the root of the irregularities.
The report also named several other officials, including former EO Anil Kumar Singhal, Financial Advisor Balaji, procurement officials P Jagadeeshwar Reddy and R S S V Subrahmanyam, as well as experts B Surendranath and M Vijayabhaskara Reddy, for their roles in enabling the supply of adulterated ghee.
According to the findings, a crucial decision to relax tender conditions was approved during a meeting chaired by Reddy on February 14, 2022. Earlier, in December 2021, a contract had been awarded to Bole Baba Dairy. Although the firm was disqualified in June 2022, it was allowed to continue supplying ghee. The commission noted that despite evidence emerging as early as August 2022 that Bole Baba, Vaishnavi, and Premier Dairies were supplying adulterated ghee, no blacklisting action was taken against them.
The report further highlighted that Reddy failed to implement mandatory quality control measures. A regulation requiring Beta-sitosterol testing for ghee quality came into effect on July 1, 2022, but this clause was not included in tender agreements until November 2023. Even after the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, confirmed adulteration, contracts were approved without incorporating the required testing protocols. The TTD laboratory was also not upgraded to conduct such tests.
The commission also found fault with former TTD chairman Y V Subba Reddy, stating that he failed to act on the findings of the CFTRI despite having ordered the testing of ghee samples. According to sworn statements by officials, Subba Reddy had been informed about the confirmed adulteration but later denied receiving such information. The panel observed that it was his responsibility to follow up on the test results, which he failed to do.
Additionally, the TTD Governing Council was criticised for approving the relaxation of tender norms without seeking justification or assessing the potential impact on product quality. The report noted that despite receiving multiple complaints about the quality of laddus and ghee, the council did not take corrective action.
The commission also pointed out that the council lacked awareness of regulations issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which had made Beta-sitosterol testing mandatory for verifying ghee purity.
The findings of the commission have raised serious concerns over administrative oversight and quality control in one of the country’s most prominent temple institutions, with calls for accountability and reforms likely to intensify in the coming days.
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