The Supreme Court on Thursday, November 5, 2026, refused a plea seeking to transfer the trial in the Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration case outside Andhra Pradesh.
The petition was filed by Machindra Shantaram Lanke, a Maharashtra-based dairy businessman and one of the prime accused in the case.
Appearing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, senior advocate Siddharth Dave argued that the atmosphere in Andhra Pradesh was politically charged and raised concerns about conducting the trial in the State.
The case involves allegations of large-scale adulteration in the ghee supplied to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the famous Tirupati temple.
Investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) reportedly uncovered a ₹250 crore scam involving the supply of approximately 68 lakh kg of fake and synthetic ghee to the TTD between 2019 and 2024.
The controversy attracted widespread attention because the ghee was reportedly used in preparing the temple's laddu prasadam.
The Supreme Court's decision means the request to move the trial outside Andhra Pradesh has been rejected. The case continues to involve investigations into the alleged supply of adulterated ghee and the financial transactions connected to it.
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