Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Officer on Special Duty (OSD) P Seshadri, who was popularly known as Dollar Seshadri, passed away in Visakhapatnam in the early hours of Monday, November 29. He was reportedly in the port city for the Karthika Deepotsavam, organised by the TTD. A well-known figure in Tirumala, he had been with the TTD for several decades.
In a statement, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock and grief over his passing. “The Chief Minister conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members of Seshadri, who was with TTD since 1978,” the statement said. Seshadri had retired in 2007 but continued to serve the organisation in his capacity as OSD.
Seshadri first hit headlines when the infamous case of alleged misappropriation of 300 five-gram gold coins of the TTD came to light. The case pertained to the coins going missing in June 2006, from ‘Bokksam’, the TTD’s official treasury, where Sri Venkateswara’s belongings are stored. The services of Seshadri, who was the sole custodian of the treasury for around a decade, and other senior officials were terminated by the TTD in 2008, as the case became public.
In August 2017, a Government Order (GO) was issued, which dropped any further disciplinary action against those named in the case, including Seshadri.
Though retired and in an advisory post, Seshadri had significant clout in the TTD. In 2019, Seshadri is said to have lobbied with senior YSRCP leaders close to him, to have a say in the members appointed to the TTD Board after the Jagan government came to power.
Seshadri’s body is being shifted to Tirupati, where people are expected to pay their respects before his final rites are performed. Condolences poured in for him from various quarters after his death.
“The sudden death of TTD OSD Seshadri has come as a shock. He had been serving the temple for decades. I extend my deepest condolences to his family,” TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, who is also the son of former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, said.