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Tirupati: A government-appointed single-member committee has stated that administrative failure and violation of established norms were the primary reasons behind the alleged adulteration of ghee used in preparing laddu prasadam at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

The inquiry committee, led by retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar, has highlighted serious lapses in ghee quality testing and irregularities in the tender process.

According to the report, key decisions to relax tender norms were taken without the presence of the full committee. The absence of the Procurement General Manager weakened oversight, and bids offering ghee at prices significantly lower than market rates were accepted without scrutiny. The committee noted that no assessment was conducted to verify how quality ghee could be supplied at such low prices.

It further stated that bidders were allowed to revise their prices even after the completion of the reverse auction process, which is against standard procedure. Additionally, despite earlier laboratory reports indicating the presence of non-dairy elements in the ghee, there was a delay in taking corrective action.

The report has also indicated the involvement of Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, former TTD chairman Bhuma Karunakar Reddy, M. Ramulu, and chief accountant O. Balaji. The committee stated that these individuals overlooked established procedures while making key administrative decisions.

The committee was constituted in February this year by the government led by N. Chandrababu Naidu, based on a chargesheet filed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed under the supervision of the Central Bureau of Investigation, following directions from the Supreme Court.

Chief Minister Naidu has alleged that corruption during the tenure of the previous government led by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy contributed to the issue, and further action is likely against officials and political figures based on the findings of the report.