The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy was the key mastermind behind the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) ‘Parakamani scam.’ Speaking at a press conference at the Tirupati Press Club on Sunday, TTD board member G. Bhanu Prakash Reddy questioned why Bhumana had remained silent when the then TTD Trust Board struck a compromise with scam-accused C.V. Ravi Kumar, who was caught red-handed stealing foreign currency from the TTD Parakamani on April 29, 2023.

"Karunakar Reddy convened a media conference today to inform the world about the great compromise deal struck by him with an accused and his ‘humanitarian gesture', after we brought the issue to light. Why did he not call the media when the accused was forced to register his properties in favour of the TTD way back in 2023?", Bhanu questioned.

The TTD board member alleged that the previous board under the YSRCP regime had erred by passing a resolution to accept the tainted property from the accused, thereby giving him a safe escape from legal proceedings. With the approval of the present TTD Chairman, B.R. Naidu, he announced that a thorough review of the former board’s controversial decisions would be undertaken.

Citing the charge sheet filed by Tirumala police against accused C.V. Ravi Kumar, BJP leader and advocate Ajay Kumar noted that while Section 379 IPC (simple theft) is a compoundable offence, Section 381 IPC (theft by a servant or clerk of property belonging to his master, carrying imprisonment of up to seven years) is non-compoundable.

He expressed surprise at the swift settlement of the Parakamani case in Lok Adalat within six months of filing of the charge sheet, wondering if the justice delivery system could function so fast for the common man too.