Madurai High Court Takes Action in Tirupati Laddu Ghee Case

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court orders FSSAI to allow AR Dairy Food to respond to a notice concerning ghee supplied for making Tirupati laddus. AR Dairy challenges the notice after consignments were rejected without explanation. The court's decision highlights procedural challenges.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has intervened in the ongoing dispute concerning AR Dairy Food and the supply of ghee for the renowned Tirupati laddus. The court directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to provide additional notice and allow AR Dairy Food time to issue a comprehensive response.

The controversy began after AR Dairy Food, which started supplying ghee on June 4, received approval for their initial consignments from TTD's in-house testing lab. However, in July, subsequent batches were rejected without explanation. The company was consequently issued a show-cause notice threatening contract cancellation and blacklisting unless satisfactory explanations were provided.

AR Dairy Food contends that the rejection was based on reports by non-official labs, highlighting procedural flaws by FSSAI. A show-cause notice from FSSAI on September 20 emphasized potential licensing issues under Food Safety and Standards regulations. Despite the pending legal proceedings, AR Dairy has steadily refuted the allegations against them.

(With inputs from agencies.)