SIT led by CBI arrests four people in Tirupati laddu case, say officials
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New Delhi/Tirupati (PTI): A special investigation team led by the CBI has arrested four people in connection with the alleged adulteration of the famous Tirupati laddus offered as prasadam to devotees at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, officials said.
Those arrested have been identified as Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, they said.
"Four people have been arrested. Two persons (Bipin Jain and Pomi Jain) were of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda of Vaihsnavi Dairy and (Raju) Rajasekharan of AR Dairy," an official told PTI late on Sunday night.
According to sources, the SIT probe has revealed serious violations at every step of ghee supply, leading to the arrests.
They claimed that Vaishnavi Dairy officials secured tenders under the name of AR Dairy to supply ghee to the temple and were also involved in creating fake records to manipulate the tender process.
The SIT unearthed that Vaishnavi Dairy had falsely claimed that it sourced ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy while the authorities noticed that the latter did not possess the capacity to meet the temple board Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's demand, sources said.
On the orders of the Supreme Court, the CBI set up a five-member SIT in November last year to investigate the allegations of the use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus.
The team comprised two officers from the central agency, two from Andhra Pradesh Police and one from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), they said.
In its October 4 order, the apex court, after hearing the petitions by BJP leader Subramaniya Swamy and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy, among others, said the probe into the allegation of using animal fat in making the laddu would be conducted by the SIT and will be supervised by the CBI director.
Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu in September claimed that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime in the state, triggering a massive political row.
During an NDA legislative party meeting in the southern state in 2024, Naidu alleged that the erstwhile YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats to make the laddus.
The allegations sparked a massive controversy across the country.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
