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SC tells CBI chief to oversee fresh Tirupati laddu probe

Oct 05, 2024 08:12 AM IST

The court’s order on Friday came after the Union government, represented by solicitor general Tushar Mehta, agreed to intervene and verify the claims

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a fresh investigation into allegations that the famous laddu served as prasadam at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) was prepared using ghee adulterated with animal fat, asserting that the issue ought not to be “turned into a political drama” and that the fresh probe was directed “to assuage the concerns and sentiments of millions of devotees across the globe”.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Tirumala temple in Tirupati district on Friday. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Tirumala temple in Tirupati district on Friday. (PTI)

A bench of justices Bhushan R Gavai and KV Viswanathan ordered the constitution of a five-member special investigation team (SIT), to be supervised by the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to conduct a fresh probe and proceed in accordance with law. The SIT will consist of two CBI officers, two Andhra Police officers and a member of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

“We clarify that we will not permit the court to be used as a political battleground. In order to assuage feelings of crores of people, we find that investigation by an independent SIT consisting of representatives of state police, CBI and FSSAI, should be done. We also direct that investigation should be under the supervision of the director of CBI,” stated the bench in its order.

The bench further clarified that the order of fresh investigation does not reflect either on the accusations made by some of the petitioners regarding the independence of the members of the probe panel earlier set up by the state government or the fairness of such members.

“We further clarify that our order should not be construed as a reflection on the independence and fairness of the members of the state SIT. We have constituted the committee only to assuage the feelings of crores of people having faith in the deity (Lord Venkateshwara),” said the order while wrapping up the proceedings before the top court.

The court’s order on Friday came after the Union government, represented by solicitor general (SG) Tushar Mehta, agreed to intervene and verify the claims.

Though the SG said that the state’s SIT had competent members and that a central team could assist and oversee the ongoing investigation, the bench opined that it would be more appropriate for a central agency such as the CBI to get involved. “Let there be an independent SIT with two officers from CBI, two from state government and one from FSSAI. It can also be supervised by the CBI director. You do it so that there is more confidence in the process,” observed the bench.

It added: “We don’t want this to turn into a political drama. There are sentiments of crores of devotees from across the world involved.”

The order came after the bench expressed concerns over conflicting reports and public statements made during an ongoing investigation. In its earlier hearing on September 30, the top court chastised Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu for prematurely going public with allegations before the investigation was completed.

“There is absolutely no evidence yet to substantiate the claim that ghee adulterated with animal fat was used in the laddus,” the bench had remarked during the September 30 hearing. The court had also halted the state government’s SIT probe and warned of the dangers of public figures making premature statements in such a sensitive matter.

The controversy was first sparked on September 18 when Naidu accused his predecessor, Jagan Mohan Reddy, of permitting the use of substandard ingredients, including animal fat, in the preparation of the laddu prasadam. Naidu cited a lab report from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which he claimed confirmed the presence of beef tallow, fish oil and lard in the ghee supplied for making the sacred prasadam.

This claim set off a wave of protests across the state, with Naidu’s political rivals in the YSR Congress party accusing him of playing politics with religious sentiments. Former Andhra Pradesh endowments minister and YSR Congress leader Vellampalli Srinivas criticised Naidu for making “baseless and irresponsible” allegations, further fuelling the political controversy.

The apex court had said the laboratory test report was “not clear at all” and it prima facie indicated that “rejected ghee” was subjected to the test.

During the hearing on Friday, Mehta assured the court that the Centre would step in, involving experts from the FSSAI, to examine ghee and laddu samples from various vendors. “One thing is very clear if there is any truth in the claims (of adulteration), it is unacceptable,” Mehta emphasised.

Agreeing, the bench responded: “Nobody can doubt that if there is any truth in the claims, it is very serious. It is about faith of millions of devotees.”

Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state government, and senior counsel Sidharth Luthra, representing the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD Board), agreed with the SG’s suggestion, adding they have no problem with a central team stepping in. The two lawyers also submitted that some of the media reports presented before the court were not true reproduction of either the turn of events or the timeline of statements.

Luthra also questioned the petition filed by YV Subba Reddy, a Rajya Sabha MP from YSR Congress and former chairman of TTD Board, pointing out that his plea was an exact copy of a petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, containing the same spelling errors made in Swamy’s petition. “He (Reddy) has also concealed material facts from this court about the pendency of a similar plea in the high court. This man is under investigation in the same matter,” Luthra said.

Rebutting these statements, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for Reddy, said that the CM’s statements on the issue cast serious doubts on the independence of the state’s probe and therefore, the apex court should order a fresh probe.

At the heart of the controversy lies the sacred laddu prasadam, an essential offering for the nearly 90,000 daily visitors to the Tirumala temple. The temple, considered one of Hinduism’s most significant shrines, sells nearly 10 million laddus every month, generating over 500 crore in revenue annually.

Petitioners, including spiritual speaker Dushyanth Sridhar and historian Vikram Sampath, have called for a court-supervised committee to investigate the allegations. They argue that the preparation of laddus is a religious practice protected under Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion, and that any adulteration would be a violation of that sacred tradition.

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