Tirupati laddu controversy: SC to hear petitions on animal fat claims today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear several petitions on Friday morning that call for a court-monitored investigation into the controversy regarding the alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati laddus.

A bench led by Justice B. R. Gavai decided to postpone the hearing to Friday at the request of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the second-highest legal officer in the government.

During the last hearing, the court asked Mehta to find out whether the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Andhra Pradesh Police should continue investigating the matter or if the case should be handed over to an independent agency.

In the meantime, the Andhra Pradesh Police have paused the SIT investigation into the alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddus since the issue is now being examined by the Supreme Court.

In the first hearing on Monday, the Supreme Court stated that there was no clear evidence to suggest that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus during the previous YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh. The court criticised Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for making public statements suggesting that lard was used in the laddus without sufficient evidence, saying he should have "kept the gods away from politics."

"We are, prima facie, of the view that it was not appropriate on the part of a high constitutional functionary to go in public to make a statement which can affect the sentiment of crores of people and when investigation to find out adulterated ghee was used to make laddus was underway," the SC said. It observed that if the SIT probe was ordered by the state government, no public statement should have been made by the Chief Minister.

The court pointed out that Naidu made his statement on September 18, which was before the FIR was filed on September 25 and the SIT was established the following day.

Agency