Madras HC orders FSSAI to grant time to AR Dairy in Tirupati laddu case

Food safety regulator, FSSAI, to reissue notice as controversy over Tirupati laddus' ghee supply continues

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to issue a supplementary notice and allow additional time for AR Dairy Food to respond, in the ongoing case concerning the supply of ghee used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus. These laddus, offered as prasadam at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, hold significant religious importance for millions of devotees.

The petition, filed by G Kannan on behalf of AR Dairy Food, was heard by Justice N Sathish Kumar. The company had challenged an initial show-cause notice from FSSAI, which questioned the quality of the ghee they supplied for the laddus.

 

AR Dairy Food supplying ghee for laddus since 2023

AR Dairy Food began supplying ghee for the laddus on June 4, 2023, and initially received approval from the in-house testing laboratory of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple, for four consignments in June. However, in July, four additional consignments were rejected without explanation, raising concerns.

Following this, the company was issued a notice, questioning why their contract should not be cancelled and why they should not be blacklisted. AR Dairy Food responded to the notice, and the case remains under judicial review.

Discrepancies raised in the case

AR Dairy Food has raised objections, particularly highlighting that TTD relied on lab reports from the Gujarat-based NDDB-Calf. The company argued that NDDB-Calf is not recognised as a food safety officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA Act), and therefore, its findings should not be considered valid.

On September 20, FSSAI issued another show-cause notice to AR Dairy Food, seeking an explanation for why their Central licence should not be suspended due to alleged violations of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. AR Dairy contends that FSSAI did not follow the correct procedure under the FSSA Act and pointed out that samples were only taken from its Dindigul unit after the notice was issued. The company filed a response on September 22 denying the allegations. However, on September 27, a notification was again issued to NDDB-Calf, which AR Dairy is now challenging.

Supreme Court constitutes independent SIT

Earlier today, the Supreme Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations surrounding the ghee used for Tirupati laddus. This follows widespread allegations that animal fat was being used in the ghee supplied to the temple, raising concerns among devotees.

The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, acknowledged the deep religious sentiments involved, emphasising that an independent investigation was necessary to ensure transparency. "We don't want this to turn into a political drama. If there is an independent body, there will be confidence," the court remarked.

The SIT will include two officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), two officers from the Andhra Pradesh state police, and a senior official from FSSAI. The team will be supervised by the CBI Director and will replace the SIT that had earlier been set up by the Andhra Pradesh government.

The allegations of adulterated ghee being used at the temple have sparked political controversy, with public statements being made by leaders of the Andhra Pradesh government.