The Andhra Government, on Friday, August 25, released the official list of 24 members, who will be part of the newly constituted Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) board. The TTD board oversees the management of the famous Tirupati temple's operations as an independent governing body and being a member of the board is highly sought after. The list has, however, drawn attention due to the inclusion of two names-Sarath Chandra Reddy, an accused in Delhi Liquor Scam and Dr Ketan Desai, who faced corruption allegations during his tenure as member of the Medical Council of India (MCI).
Sarath Reddy is the non-executive director of Aurobindo Pharma, a prominent pharmaceutical company and the son-in-law of Rajya Sabha Member V Vijayasai Reddy who is one of the closest associates of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
In November 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sarath Chandra Reddy for his involvement in the Delhi liquor policy scam case in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court, granted Sharath Reddy pardon after he requested the court to let him be an approver. He was previously named in a CBI chargesheet in 2012 in connection with the quid pro quo case against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy over a land sale agreement with Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in 2006 that was allegedly in the company's best interest when Sarath was its Managing Director and Trident Life Sciences Ltd. The case's trial is still going on.
Ketan Desai is a urologist from Gujarat. In 2010, Desai was arrested by the CBI with three others for allegedly accepting bribes to give permission to a Punjab-based medical college to recruit a fresh batch of students without having the proper infrastructure.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) was mired in controversy during Dr Desai's tenure including serious allegations of corruption that the association was dissolved by Pratibha Patil, the then-President of India in 2010.
Earlier in November 2001, the Delhi High Court ordered his removal from the position of President of MCI and directed the CBI to open a criminal investigation after referring to the MCI as a "den of corruption”. Although Desai had several cases of corruption against him, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and MCI used to defend him saying that he has never been convicted in any of the cases.
Every two years, the Andhra Pradesh government appoints a new board. The tenure of the previous board ended on August 8. Tirupati MLA Bhumana Karinakar Reddy, a relative of the Chief Minister was appointed as the Chairman of the TTD on August 5.
Daggubati Purandeshwari, state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has criticised the nominations. She responded strongly and said, "AP CM has proven once again that TTD Board is but a political Rehabilitation centre. The CM of AP's lack of faith in the sacredness of the Board and the Temple is highlighted by his nomination of individuals like Sarat Chandra Reddy and Ketan Desai to the Board.”