In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the alleged adulteration of ghee for the sacred Tirumala laddus, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested K. Chinna Appanna. Appanna, a former personal assistant to YSR Congress party’s Rajya Sabha member and ex-Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy, was apprehended on Wednesday night. He is believed to have been instrumental in facilitating contracts with dairy firms that were allegedly ineligible.
Appanna, originally from Vizianagaram district, served as Subba Reddy’s personal assistant for a decade, from 2014 to 2024. During the YSRCP government’s tenure between 2019 and 2024, he also managed protocol duties at the AP Bhavan in New Delhi.
Sources privy to the SIT investigation revealed that Appanna’s alleged involvement in awarding contracts to unsuitable dairies is a key aspect of the case. He had previously been questioned by the SIT in June and had sought a stay from the state high court, which was later lifted following Supreme Court directives in October 2024, allowing the investigation to resume.
Following two days of questioning this week, Appanna was arrested for his alleged non-cooperation with the investigation and was presented before the ACB Court in Nellore.
The case dates back to the period when Y.V. Subba Reddy chaired the TTD. During this time, the TTD allegedly procured ghee adulterated with animal fat from A R Foods, a dairy firm based in Tamil Nadu, for the preparation of the renowned ‘laddu prasadam’ offered to devotees.
The scandal surfaced after the current Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government initiated an inquiry upon taking office in June 2024. Subsequently, in September 2025, a state-constituted SIT, led by Inspector General Sarvashreshta Tripathi, was formed to investigate the matter. However, the Supreme Court intervened in October 2024, ordering the formation of a new, independent five-member SIT, superseding the state-appointed team.
This SC-appointed SIT comprises two CBI officers, two senior police officers from Andhra Pradesh, and one official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), operating under the direct supervision of the CBI director.
The investigation has also identified Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Private Limited from Uttarakhand as a supplier of ghee to the TTD in June 2014. This ghee was reportedly routed through Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Pvt Ltd in Tirupati district and A R Dairy in Chennai.
Earlier this year, in February, the SIT had arrested four individuals associated with three different dairy firms: Pomil Jain and Bipin Jain (directors of Bhole Baba Dairy), Apurva Vinay Kant Chawda (CEO of Sri Vaishnavi Dairy), and Raju Rajasekharan (MD of AR Dairy). While the state high court granted bail to three of these individuals in July 2025, citing investigative discrepancies, Raju Rajasekharan’s bail application is still pending.