SIT presents accused in court; bail hearing postponed as investigation uncovers forged documents and adulteration links.
Tirupati: The custodial interrogation of the four accused in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) laddu ghee adulteration case ended on Tuesday.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CBI, which interrogated the accused, took them to the S.V.R. Ruia Government Hospital for medical examinations before presenting them in the Second Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Court in Tirupati.
Earlier, the court granted five-day custody of the accused to the SIT on February 13, so that they could be interrogated. The accused remained in custody of the SIT till Tuesday, February 18.
Sources said the accused did not fully cooperate during the interrogation.
Meanwhile, the four accused have moved a bail petition, a hearing of which had been set on Monday. However, the hearing has been postponed to Wednesday.
The accused are Rajasekaran, managing director of AR Dairy in Tamil Nadu; Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy in Uttarakhand; and Apoorva Vinaykant Chawda, CEO of Vaishnavi Dairy.
Ghee, crucial for preparing the famous Tirumala laddus, is procured by TTD in large quantities through a structured tender process. Bhole Baba Dairy had been disqualified in 2019 and 2022 for supplying substandard ghee. Following this, Pomil Jain and Vipin Jain allegedly acquired shares in Vaishnavi Dairy. They then partnered with AR Dairy through Apoorva Chawda to secure the tender in 2024, allegedly using forged documents.
SIT uncovered that Vaishnavi Dairy acted as an intermediary, sourcing ghee from Bhole Baba Dairy and supplying it to TTD through AR Dairy. Laboratory tests confirmed the ghee had been adulterated with animal fat, prompting the investigation.
