CBI Confirms Five-Year Adulterated Ghee Supply to Tirupati Temple

Faith, food, and fraud — a mix no one expected at India’s most visited temple. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has confirmed that between 2019 and 2024, nearly 68 lakh kilograms of adulterated ghee, worth around ₹250 crore, were supplied to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). This ghee was used in making the sacred Tirupati laddus, offered as prasadam to millions of devotees each year.

The CBI report points to Bhole Baba Dairy, based in Bhagwanpur, Uttarakhand, as the key culprit. Investigators found that the dairy had no functioning cattle farms or milk supply, yet managed to secure long-term temple contracts. The so-called ghee was actually a synthetic mix of palm oil, hydrogenated fats, and flavor chemicals, engineered to mimic the texture and aroma of real cow ghee.

The investigation further revealed that in July 2024, four tankers of ghee were rejected by TTD’s internal testing unit due to the presence of animal fat and low purity levels. However, the same stock was later routed back through proxy suppliers — Vyshnavi Dairy and AR Dairy Foods — and reintroduced into the temple kitchens under new batch numbers. This manipulation continued for months before whistleblowers within the supply chain tipped off state authorities, leading to the CBI takeover.

According to officials, money trails show transactions linking the dairy’s promoters with middlemen allegedly connected to certain procurement officers within the TTD. The SIT and CBI have now registered cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Food Safety and Standards Act, detaining several executives for questioning.

For devotees, the revelation cuts deep. The Tirupati laddu, known as a symbol of divine purity, has now become the center of an uncomfortable truth — that even sacred spaces are not immune to commercial greed. Temple officials have since suspended multiple procurement contracts, initiated new third-party testing procedures, and promised complete transparency moving forward.

Why it matters: This is not just a temple story — it’s a wake-up call for public institutions that rely on trust over transparency. The scandal highlights how lack of oversight and unchecked suppliers can quietly undermine faith and health alike. For regulators, the CBI’s findings underscore the urgent need for stricter quality audits and vendor verification in large-scale food supply contracts.

As of November 10, 2025, the CBI continues to trace fund trails and chemical suppliers connected to the scam. Meanwhile, devotees are demanding a public apology and independent lab results to restore confidence in the temple’s offerings.

The message is clear: faith cannot run on fake — and purity, once broken, takes more than a ritual to rebuild.