The Andhra Pradesh government has paused the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) probe into the alleged adulteration of ghee used for making Tirupati laddus, pending the next Supreme Court hearing on October 3. This development follows the Supreme Court’s criticism of the state for publicly asserting that animal fat was used in the laddus without sufficient evidence.
Decision to Pause the Investigation
Andhra Pradesh’s top police official, Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, stated that the decision was made as a “precautionary measure” to uphold the integrity of the ongoing investigation. “We have stopped the probe for the time being in view of the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court. Our team has conducted various inspections, recorded statements of a few people, and done a preliminary investigation,” he explained.
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Earlier this week, the SIT conducted an inspection of a flour mill in Tirumala where the ghee is stored before being used to prepare the laddus, which are distributed as prasadam to millions of devotees annually. An FIR was registered on September 25, and the SIT was formed the following day to investigate the allegations.
Supreme Court’s Reprimand
The Supreme Court expressed disapproval of the Andhra Pradesh government’s approach, highlighting that there was no prima facie evidence to substantiate claims of contaminated ghee in the Tirupati temple. A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan questioned the rationale behind making such claims public without concrete proof, stating, “It is very clear from the report that this is not the ghee which has been used. Unless you are sure, how did you go into public with that?”
The court emphasized the need to keep political considerations separate from matters of faith and hinted that the investigation might be transferred to an independent agency.
Political Ramifications and Accusations
The controversy escalated when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu referenced a lab report indicating the presence of beef tallow, lard (related to pig fat), and fish oil in the ghee used for the laddus during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) administration. Former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has strongly denied these allegations, adding another layer of political tension to the situation.
