Supreme Court orders Fresh Neutral SIT Investigation Into Tirupati Laddu Row

Stating that it will “not allow the court to be used as a political battleground”, the Supreme Court Friday ordered that a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe into the allegations of adulterated ghee being used in laddus distributed at Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati temple under the previous YSRCP government.

Substituting the SIT set up by the state government earlier, the Supreme Court has said that the new SIT will be supervised by the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation. The panel will comprise two officers of CBI nominated by the director, two officers of the state police nominated by the state government, and one official of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

During the hearing, the Supreme Court emphasised the need for an impartial inquiry and voiced its opinion to avoid political drama. The court expressed confidence that an independent panel would ensure public confidence in the review process.

The hearing initiated in response to a series of petitions seeking a court-supervised inquiry into serious allegations of prasad preparation at the temple has attracted a lot of attention to the issue, causing distress over food safety and religious practices.

The issue stems from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s public statement on the former Y.S. Government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy. The statement triggered a political debate, with the YSR Congress party accusing Naidu of making unsubstantiated allegations for political gain.

In an earlier hearing on September 30, the Supreme Court referred to Naidu’s public statement that it came before the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) before filing an official FIR and ordered caution on politically charged cases.

The Supreme Court on Friday noted that the Solicitor General had recommended that a central government officer can be appointed to supervise the probe.“We clarify that our order should not be construed as a reflection on the independence and fairness on 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,” the court said.