The Central Bureau of Investigation's Special Investigation Team has filed a chargesheet in the Nellore ACB court regarding the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams ghee supply case, revealing significant findings about the nature of the ghee used in preparing the sacred laddu prasadam.
No Evidence of Animal Fat Adulteration
Contrary to earlier allegations, the CBI chargesheet makes no reference to the ghee being adulterated with animal fats such as tallow or lard. The investigation specifically examined this claim but found no supporting evidence in the laboratory analysis of the samples.
Synthetic Ghee Made from Vegetable Oils
The chargesheet states that laboratory tests of ghee samples revealed that synthetic ghee was supplied for making the famous Tirumala laddu prasadam. According to the investigation findings, this was not genuine cow ghee at all, but rather ghee manufactured from synthetic materials blended with various vegetable oils.
Political Background of the Investigation
The investigation originated from allegations made by TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu shortly after coming to power in September 2024. He had claimed that ghee adulterated with animal fats had been used to prepare the laddu prasadam during the previous YSRC government's tenure from 2019 to 2024.
The SIT was specifically formed to investigate allegations that ghee mixed with tallow and lard had been supplied to TTD. Following Naidu's allegations, the TDP had released a copy of a lab report from the National Dairy Development Board's Centre for Analysis & Learning in Livestock & Food that made conditional references to possible animal fat adulteration.
Detailed Laboratory Findings
The CBI investigation discovered that samples drawn from tankers supplied by AR Dairy in July 2024 were not cow ghee samples, but rather samples of synthetic ghee. The chargesheet also describes the ghee supplied by Bhole Baba dairy and its proxies as "fake ghee."
To obtain conclusive evidence, the CBI requested NDDB to conduct fresh raw data analysis and further testing of remaining ghee samples drawn by TTD from four tankers of AR Dairy on July 6 and 12, 2024. NDDB completed these tests and submitted its comprehensive report on March 27 of the previous year.
Scientific Analysis of Ghee Samples
The chargesheet contains detailed findings from the latest laboratory report, which provides scientific evidence about the composition of the supplied ghee:
- The presence of butyric acid was below the limit of quantification in all four samples, indicating that milk fat content was extremely low
- Despite very low milk fat content, the presence of lauric acid and myristic acid suggested the inclusion of coconut oil and/or palm kernel oil
- Fatty acid analysis confirmed the use of palm oil and/or palm stearin in the ghee samples
- The laboratory report concluded that chances of fish oil presence in the ghee samples appeared very rare
Definitive Conclusions About Ghee Composition
The laboratory report presented in the chargesheet clearly established that the milk fat in the samples was fake. In two samples, there was no cholesterol detected at all, leading to the conclusion that they were made entirely from vegetable oils.
Furthermore, the absence of cholesterol strongly suggested that chances of tallow, lard, and fish oil presence were "very low" according to the report. Based on comprehensive fatty acid profiling and the presence of beta sitosterol in the ghee samples, investigators concluded that these samples were primarily a mixture of palm oil and/or palm stearin with palm kernel oil.
This detailed scientific analysis provides conclusive evidence about the synthetic nature of the ghee supplied to TTD, while definitively ruling out the earlier allegations of animal fat adulteration that had sparked the investigation.
