The Crossbill News Desk
The controversy surrounding the ghee used for preparing Tirupati laddoos has taken a fresh turn, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) identifying a combination of vegetable oils and industrial chemicals allegedly used to adulterate the product, while finding no evidence of animal fat, The News Minute reported.
In a press note issued on Friday (September 18), the ED said adulterated ghee was allegedly manufactured using refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmolein and chemicals including MG-90, monoglycerides, Myvacet soft 400, and Acetic Acid Esther. The agency's findings are broadly in line with the conclusions of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-led Special Investigation Team (SIT), which had earlier ruled out the presence of animal fat in the samples examined.
The ED has also arrested Kailash Chand Mangla, promoter of Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd, in connection with the alleged adulteration and fraudulent supply of ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Mangla was arrested on Thursday (September 17) under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
According to the ED, the estimated value of ghee supplied to the TTD between 2019 and 2024 was around Rs 230 crore. Of this, ghee worth approximately Rs 96 crore was allegedly manufactured by Mangla.
The latest findings follow the final chargesheet filed by the CBI's SIT before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court in Nellore on January 23, 2026. The investigation concluded that the adulterants were not rendered fat from cows or pigs, but a synthetic mixture of vegetable oils and chemical esters designed to replicate the chemical characteristics of dairy ghee.
The investigation had found that the adulteration involved refined palm oil, palm kernel oil and palmolein, along with chemical esters used to manipulate laboratory parameters. The SIT's forensic conclusions therefore differed significantly from the animal-fat allegations that had dominated the political controversy in 2024.
In September 2024, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had ignited a nationwide political and religious firestorm by alleging that the sacred Tirupati laddoo had been desecrated with “animal fat” – specifically citing beef tallow and lard.
The allegations triggered a major political controversy, with the ruling alliance in Andhra Pradesh accusing the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government of failing to protect the sanctity of the temple's offerings.
The YSRCP, in turn, has argued that the findings of the CBI investigation undermine the specific allegations made against the previous administration.
The CBI-SIT investigation did establish serious irregularities in the procurement and supply of ghee. Its findings pointed to synthetic adulteration and alleged manipulation of the supply chain, rather than the presence of beef tallow or lard.
The latest ED investigation is focused on the alleged financial and money-laundering aspects of the supply of adulterated ghee.
The agency's identification of the substances used in the adulteration, while ruling out animal fat, adds another layer to the continuing investigation into how the product was manufactured and supplied to the TTD.
In a press note issued on Friday (September 18), the ED said adulterated ghee was allegedly manufactured using refined palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmolein and chemicals including MG-90, monoglycerides, Myvacet soft 400, and Acetic Acid Esther. The agency's findings are broadly in line with the conclusions of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)-led Special Investigation Team (SIT), which had earlier ruled out the presence of animal fat in the samples examined.
The ED has also arrested Kailash Chand Mangla, promoter of Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd, in connection with the alleged adulteration and fraudulent supply of ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Mangla was arrested on Thursday (September 17) under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
According to the ED, the estimated value of ghee supplied to the TTD between 2019 and 2024 was around Rs 230 crore. Of this, ghee worth approximately Rs 96 crore was allegedly manufactured by Mangla.
The latest findings follow the final chargesheet filed by the CBI's SIT before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court in Nellore on January 23, 2026. The investigation concluded that the adulterants were not rendered fat from cows or pigs, but a synthetic mixture of vegetable oils and chemical esters designed to replicate the chemical characteristics of dairy ghee.
The investigation had found that the adulteration involved refined palm oil, palm kernel oil and palmolein, along with chemical esters used to manipulate laboratory parameters. The SIT's forensic conclusions therefore differed significantly from the animal-fat allegations that had dominated the political controversy in 2024.
In September 2024, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had ignited a nationwide political and religious firestorm by alleging that the sacred Tirupati laddoo had been desecrated with “animal fat” – specifically citing beef tallow and lard.
The allegations triggered a major political controversy, with the ruling alliance in Andhra Pradesh accusing the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government of failing to protect the sanctity of the temple's offerings.
The YSRCP, in turn, has argued that the findings of the CBI investigation undermine the specific allegations made against the previous administration.
The CBI-SIT investigation did establish serious irregularities in the procurement and supply of ghee. Its findings pointed to synthetic adulteration and alleged manipulation of the supply chain, rather than the presence of beef tallow or lard.
The latest ED investigation is focused on the alleged financial and money-laundering aspects of the supply of adulterated ghee.
The agency's identification of the substances used in the adulteration, while ruling out animal fat, adds another layer to the continuing investigation into how the product was manufactured and supplied to the TTD.
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