HYDERABAD: In a move aimed to increase transparency in the system, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board has recommended the Andhra Pradesh government to entrust the auditing of TTD accounts to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The CAG will audit the TTD accounts from the year 2014 to 2020. This move is aimed at ensuring transparency in the temple trust board’s accounting and auditing systems and retaining full confidence of devotees and donors in the same. The decision was taken following a petition filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy and others in the High Court asking for the auditing of TTD accounts by the CAG. The petitioners alleged that there were large scale irregularities in the TTD funds in the last five years. Swamy also wrote to the TTD in this regard. After the decision to hand over the audit to CAG, Swamy praised the Jagan government and tweeted, “My associate Satyapal Sabharwal and I had filed a PIL in Andhra HC seeking a CAG audit of Tirupati Temple funds for the last 5 years & hereafter. The CM Jagan gracefully consented. TTD Chm. Subba Reddy & Member & VHS AP leader Govind Hari piloted it thru TTDBoard. Task complete!” Talking to The Daily Guardian, TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy said, “We discussed the issue at the TTD Trust Board meeting and passed a resolution for re-audit of TTD accounts. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy advised us to conduct the re-audit and has requested the CAG to do it. He was of the view that a TTD audit should be conducted by CAG during the YSRC government’s tenure too.” “CM says there should be complete transparency when it comes to Lord Balaji Temple. The CM believes in corruption-free governance”, Chairman added further. In 2018, Subramanian Swamy and an advocate Satya Pal Sabharwal had filed the petition in the high court seeking a directive to free the Tirumala temple from government control. In the same petition, they had sought an interim injunction for an external audit of the TTD accounts, utilisation of funds and properties including jewellery for three financial years beginning 2014-2015. Their plea came in the wake of a controversy over alleged missing of jewelleries of Tirumala temple.
