The Supreme Court on Friday constituted an independent investigation team to probe allegations that the ghee used in the laddus distributed at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, was contaminated with animal fat.
The newly-formed Special Investigation Team (SIT) will comprise one officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), two officers from the Andhra Pradesh Police, and a senior official from the Food Safety Authority. The team’s operations will be overseen by the CBI Director.
The Andhra Pradesh government had earlier formed its own team to investigate the allegations, which sparked outrage among Hindu devotees across the country. However, the SIT inquiry was suspended following the Supreme Court’s intervention.
A division bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan said that there was “no need for political drama, as the matter concerns the faith of millions of devotees worldwide.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, defended the state SIT, suggesting that it could be supervised by a central officer. He added that if the allegations held any truth, it would be “unacceptable.”
“Devotees are all over the country, and food safety is also a concern. I did not find anything against the members of the state SIT,” Mehta said
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Andhra Pradesh, supported the continuation of the state-formed SIT, suggesting that any officer appointed by the court could be integrated into the existing team. “The current SIT is beyond reproach,” he argued.
Meanwhile, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy, urged the court to constitute an independent investigation, contending that the state SIT could not be expected to conduct an impartial inquiry.
The controversy began following remarks by Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, who said, “Even Tirumala Ladoo was made with substandard ingredients during the YSR Congress rule under the leadership of Jagan Mohan Reddy. Instead of using ghee, they used animal fat, but now pure ghee is used. Everything in the temple has been disinfected, which has improved the quality of the ladoo.”