New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a fresh independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the allegations of use of adulterated ghee being used in laddus which is distributed as prasadam at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh under the previous YSRCP government.
The Supreme Court ordered for an independent five member SIT to be constituted of two officers of CBI, two officers of Andhra Pradesh police and one senior officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
The CBI director will supervise SIT probe. The apex court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking court-monitored investigation into the allegations of use of animal fat to make laddus served as prasadam at the Tirumala Tirupati temple.
The Supreme Court stated that it doesn’t want this to turn into political drama. If there is an independent body, there will be confidence. While appearing for one of the petitioners, senior advocate Kapil Sibal urged the apex court to form an independent SIT to probe the issue. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Centre suggested to the Supreme Court that if there is any element of truth in the allegation, it’s unacceptable.
Solicitor General tells Supreme Court that letting the SIT be supervised by some senior central official would inspire confidence.
The Supreme Court, in the first hearing held on Monday, observed that there was prima facie nothing to show that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus during the previous YSRCP regime in Andhra Pradesh.
It said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu should have “kept the gods away from politics” before rushing in to make public statements based on unsure facts that lard was used to prepare the laddus under the previous regime. “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. Further, the SC noted that the statement was made by CM Chandrababu Naidu on September 18, which was “even prior to the FIR being lodged on September 25” and the SIT being constituted the next day.