The Andhra Pradesh government is likely to transfer Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal, following a report submitted by the CBI-led Special Investigation Team probing allegations of supply of adulterated ghee used in making Tirupati laddus, people familiar with the matter said.
Andhra TTD may transfer executive officer after SIT reportThe SIT, which submitted the final chargesheet in a local court in Nellore, submitted a separate report to the state government on Friday, a senior state government official said on condition of anonymity.
He said the SIT had recommended disciplinary action against Singhal, who was holding the post of TTD executive officer, when the fake ghee was purchased, besides former Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy and Financial Advisor and Chief Accounts Officer O Balaji.
“In all likelihood, the government may issue orders in a day or two to transfer Singhal from TTD besides taking disciplinary action against Dharma Reddy and Balaji,” the official said.
The SIT said these officials were instrumental in bringing about changes in the ghee procurement process during the tenure of former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, which enabled companies to supply adulterated ghee.
The SIT noted that Singhal either failed to detect the problem in time, or even after detecting the irregularities, he allegedly ignored them, amounting to gross dereliction of duty. “Instead of acting decisively, Singhal may have succumbed to pressure from the TTD governing body,” the official said.
Meanwhile, state Finance Minister Payavula Kesav told reporters in Amaravati that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will go through the SIT report after returning from his current visit to Kuppam and decide on further legal action.
He categorically rejected the YSR Congress party’s claim that the SIT had given it a “clean chit” in the Tirumala Laddu adulteration case, saying that the SIT, CFTRI and NDDB reports together clearly established adulteration, suppression of evidence and corruption in the YSRCP regime.
Keshav said the SIT had clearly pointed out how the YSRCP government had changed the tender conditions for procuring ghee, which laid the foundation for irregularities and adulteration. “The evidence before the SIT clearly shows that adulteration of ghee started only after 2019,” he said.
He mentioned that in 2022, CFTRI, Mysuru, confirmed the adulteration, detected chemicals, beta-sitosterol, animal fat and residues. “The SIT has clearly recorded that the CFTRI report submitted in 2022 was suppressed and no action was taken. This suppression itself reveals the guilt of the YSRCP government,” he said.
