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The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the adulteration of ghee used in Tirupati laddus, has concluded that the ghee was prepared using a mix of refined palm oil, refined kernel oil, refined palmolien oil, lactic acid, acetic acid ester, monoglycerides, beta carotene and ghee flavour. The samples were tested at two labs. While one concluded that there was no lard (fat derived from pigs) in any of the samples; the other concluded that the absence of cholesterol in the samples suggests that the possibility of the presence of beef tallow, lard, and fish oil is “very low”.
The conclusion comes over a year after CM Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan accused the YSRCP and former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy of hurting Hindu sentiments and adulterating the ghee used in Tirumala laddu with beef tallow, fish oil, and lard.
Beef tallow is rendered, purified fat derived from bovines (cows) and lard is fat from the abdomen of a pig that is rendered and clarified for use in cooking.
The chargesheet filed by the SIT mentions two reports: one by the National Dairy Development Board at the Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock (NDDB CALF) at Gujarat’s Anand and ICAR - National Dairy Research Institute (ICAR-NDRI) in Haryana’s Karnal.
“During the investigation, four sealed ghee samples drawn by TTD from four tankers were sent to ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, Haryana, to test for the presence of lard and other animal fats. In its report, ICAR NDRI stated that all four samples were
analysed using a PCR-based method,” the chargesheet read. ICAR concluded that lard was not detected in any of the four samples.
In a letter dated January 8, 2025, the NDDB CALF concluded that the quantity of ghee in the samples is very low. “The absence of cholesterol in the samples also suggests that the chances for the presence of tallow, lard and fish oil are very low…Further, based on the fatty acid profile and presence of beta sitosterol in Ghee samples from TTD, it is concluded that these samples are primarily a mixture of Palm oil and/or Palm stearin with palm kernel oil.”
What the report means
TNM shared a copy of the NDDB CALF report’s conclusions from the chargesheet with veterinary scientist Dr Sagari Ramdas. “The conclusions are clear,” she said.
“The absence of cholesterol indicates that chances of animal fat like lard, tallow or fish oil are absent. The primary oil is palm oil and palm kernel oil. From a health point of view, this isn’t good. But the low ghee samples and low cholesterol show that the chances of animal fat being present are very low.”
Dr Sagari also said that scientific reports of this nature rely heavily on probability.
“There is no doubt that the samples primarily contain palm oil, palm stearin and palm kernel oil with very, very low quantities of ghee. The reports should ideally also mention statistical significance to determine what is and isn’t statistically significant. So in this case, whether considering animal fat or cholesterol is statistically significant or not is something that should have been made note of to be more rigorous," she added.
“The absence of cholesterol means that allegations that animal fat was used are not true. The report concludes overwhelmingly that adulteration is in palm oil,” Dr Sagari concluded.
Financial loss and accused named in chargesheet
A total of 36 individuals were listed as accused in the case, with AR Dairy Food Private Limited based in Tamil Nadu named as the primary accused.
The SIT concluded that Pomil Jain, Vipin Jain, and Sarika Jain of Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Private Limited, a company located in Uttarakhand, had agreed to supply adulterated ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) between 2019 and 2024 when the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was in power.
The accused allegedly prepared adulterated ghee at Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Private Limited’s plant in Bhagwanpur by mixing palm oils with minimal quantities of real ghee and chemicals to manipulate laboratory test values and maintain aroma.
The National Dairy Development Board’s CALF laboratory report dated March 27, 2025, cited in the chargesheet, stated that the ghee samples supplied to TTD were primarily mixtures of palm oil, palm stearin and palm kernel oil, with very little actual ghee content.
Investigators claimed that during financial years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 (up to September 2024), the accused manufactured more than 6.8 crore kilograms of adulterated ghee at the Bhagwanpur facility. Between 2019 and 2024, around 5.97 crore kilograms of adulterated ghee were allegedly supplied to TTD, causing wrongful loss of about Rs 234.51 crore and corresponding wrongful gains to the accused.
The chargesheet further alleged that ineligible dairy firms participated in TTD tenders by submitting forged and fabricated documents to meet eligibility criteria. Several companies, including Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Private Limited, Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Private Limited, Malganga Agro Foods Private Limited and AR Dairy Food Private Limited, are accused of fraudulently securing supply orders.