VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, resolved to constitute a short-tenure administrative committee to review the SIT report on the Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration scandal and its recommendations.
The decision came after a three-hour-long cabinet meeting where ministers deliberated extensively on the issue, treating it as a matter of sanctity and faith rather than politics.
Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav said all officials found responsible would be treated as offenders and action would be taken against them.
The 11-page report has clearly recommended action against all concerned officials, from senior figures such as YV Subba Reddy, AV Dharma Reddy and Anil Kumar Singhal to members of lower-level committees, and stressed that they should be viewed as accused, not merely as part of an administrative lapse.
‘Govt committed to protecting Tirumala sanctity’
Payyavula said the short-tenure committee will examine whether there were any additional administrative lapses, giving all those concerned an opportunity to present their version, asserting that the government’s approach was not driven by vengeance but by fairness and due process.
Officials who admitted that the lapses occurred knowingly, including those who signed files again, would be considered partners in the offence. The Advocate General had also been consulted on why this angle was not examined earlier.
The Finance Minister said the committee would be set up immediately, and further action would follow, adding that the government is committed to taking strict measures to protect the sanctity, purity and grandeur of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) without any compromise.
Earlier reports confirming adulteration were ignored by the previous YSRCP government, despite clear evidence. Lab tests had detected adulterants including coconut oil, palm oil, fish oil and even animal fat.
He recalled that in August 2022, the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) had flagged the presence of beta-sitosterol in ghee samples, but the findings were suppressed and no corrective action was taken until the regime change in 2024.
Payyavula alleged that the then TTD board chairman and senior officials colluded in suppressing the 2022 report.
Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar emphasised that the government’s move is not a political vendetta but a step to preserve the sanctity of Tirumala traditions.
He condemned attempts to distort the issue politically and said the government would ensure transparency by placing facts before the public. Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav accused the previous regime of betraying devotees’ sentiments for corruption worth nearly Rs 250 crore.
He alleged that ghee was manufactured without milk, using chemicals and adulterants, thereby desecrating temple sanctity. He also pointed to negligence in temple traditions, including declaration norms and festival practices.
Information Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy noted that the cabinet had set aside its regular agenda to focus solely on this issue. He said the SIT report prepared under CBI supervision was examined in detail, revealing tender relaxations, forged documents and nearly 58 lakh litres of adulterated ghee supplied after 2019.
Naidu concluded the meeting by reiterating that protecting Tirumala’s purity is the government’s supreme responsibility. He stressed that devotees’ faith must never be compromised and that stern action will be taken against offenders.