CBI rules out animal fat in Tirupati laddu, exposes use of synthetic ‘ghee’ in supply chain
The Central Bureau of Investigation has on Friday officially confirmed that the famed Tirupati laddu prasadam was not made with beef tallow or lard, putting to rest one of the most explosive claims of recent years about the sacred offering at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. After a 15-month inquiry into allegations of adulteration in the ghee used for laddu preparation, the CBI-led Special Investigation Team filed its final chargesheet in an anti-corruption court in Nellore, concluding that no animal fat was present in the ghee supplied to the temple between 2019 and 2024.
The investigation was launched following a political and public outcry that began in September 2024, when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan publicly alleged that substandard ghee adulterated with animal fat had been used in the laddu served to devotees. Those claims had triggered widespread shock and debate across the country, touching deep religious sentiments and sparking intervention by the Supreme Court, which ordered an independent probe.
The CBI’s detailed chargesheet now reveals that the ghee provided to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams was not genuine dairy product at all, but a concoction crafted from palm oil, palm kernel oil and other vegetable oils combined with chemical additives engineered to mimic the laboratory parameters, colour and aroma of pure cow ghee. Investigators found that these synthetic substitutes were deliberately formulated to fool the standard quality tests relied on by the temple’s procurement system. Rather than being made from milk or butter, the so-called ghee was produced without any dairy content and supplied in vast quantities over several years, with an estimated 68 lakh kilograms valued at around ₹250 crore having entered the temple’s supply chain.
To make the product resemble authentic ghee, the syndicate used chemical esters such as acetic acid esters — supplied by a trader identified in the chargesheet — to manipulate key test values, and added beta carotene for colour as well as artificial flavouring to imitate the distinctive smell of traditional ghee. The investigation also uncovered instances in which tankers rejected for quality issues were recycled back into the supply chain rather than being discarded, underscoring the depth of the quality control failures.
While some rejected tankers did contain traces of animal fats such as lard and beef tallow, these were detected only in rejected batches and were not part of the officially tested ghee used for prasadam, according to the chargesheet and expert laboratory analyses. Authorities emphasised that such finds came from isolated rejected consignments, not from products used to prepare laddu for devotees.
The final chargesheet names 36 individuals, including procurement officials from the temple trust, representatives of the key supplier based in Uttarakhand, and other intermediaries accused of facilitating the scheme and issuing favourable inspection reports despite glaring quality issues. Several former insiders are accused of accepting bribes and gifts in return for overlooking evidence of adulteration and signing off on flawed quality certificates.
The revelations have dramatically shifted the narrative that had embroiled the temple, government officials and political parties in a fierce controversy. Leaders of the opposition YSR Congress Party have demanded an apology from Naidu and his deputy for the earlier allegations, saying the claims of animal fat adulteration harmed the faith of millions of devotees and unfairly targeted their administration.
With the chargesheet now before the court, legal proceedings are expected to advance into full trial mode, where prosecutors will present extensive evidence and witness statements gathered during the investigation. The case continues to draw attention because of its implications not only for public trust in temple administration and supply chain oversight, but also for the integrity of quality controls in food products associated with religious institutions.
In the wake of the findings, many devotees and observers have expressed relief that the most inflammatory allegation — that animal fats had been used in the sacred laddu — has been disproved. Still, the scandal has raised serious questions about oversight, accountability and procurement practices in institutions entrusted with revered cultural and religious traditions.