The trial in the Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case will stay in Andhra Pradesh. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Thursday, November 5, dismissed a plea to move it to a neighbouring state.
The plea
Machindra Shantaram Lanke, a Maharashtra dairy businessman and managing director of Malganga Milk and Agro Products, an accused in the case, filed the petition. His senior counsel Siddharth Dave argued that statements by political leaders, including CM Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, threatened a fair trial, and that most accused are from North India and face a language barrier.
What the court said
The bench noted that many witnesses are in the state and that the probe was done by an SIT set up by the Supreme Court. "We silenced them all with our order," the CJI said, adding that the petitioner could return to the court if a problem arose.
Background
- In September 2024, CM Naidu alleged animal fat was used in laddus under the previous YSRCP government. The YSRCP called the allegation heinous and politically motivated.
- On October 4, 2024, the Supreme Court set up a five-member independent SIT under the CBI Director's supervision.
- On January 23, 2026, the SIT filed its final charge sheet in an ACB court in Nellore. The Hans India reports an NDRI Karnal report found no animal fat in four ghee samples, but investigators concluded the ghee was adulterated with vegetable oils and laboratory esters.
Separately, TTD Additional EO Venkaiah Chowdary said on Wednesday that TTD's food and water lab in Tirumala runs about 11 quality tests on the laddu, including moisture, sugar and cashew content, and tested about 2,500 food samples during the recent Brahmotsavams.
