The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday granted bail to three individuals accused of supplying adulterated ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust that manages the revered Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati.
The court allowed bail for Apurva Vinaykanth Chavda, Pomil Jain, and Vipin Jain on the execution of a personal bond of ₹25,000 each, with two sureties of the same amount, to the satisfaction of the II Additional Judicial Magistrate of First Class, Tirupati.
In its order, the High Court observed that the accused have been in custody for over four months, are not flight risks, and have cooperated with the investigation. “Entire investigation is over and charge sheet has been filed. Hence, this Court is of the opinion that incarceration of the petitioners further is not necessary,” the court noted.
Emphasizing the foundational legal principle that “bail is the rule and jail is an exception,” the court reiterated that in a constitutional criminal justice system, courts must balance the rights of the accused with the collective interest of society.
The case stems from a major controversy that erupted in September 2024, when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government had permitted the use of substandard ghee and even animal fat in the preparation of the world-famous Tirupati laddu. The allegations triggered national outrage and led to the formation of a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT).
In February 2025, the SIT arrested Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, both former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, along with Apurva Chavda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan of AR Dairy.
The court’s decision comes as a significant development in a case that has raised serious questions about food safety, religious sanctity, and political accountability.
