Supreme Court Orders Special Probe Into Tirupati Laddoo Row

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ordered an independent probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the allegations of animal fat used in laddoos at the Tirupati temple.

The SIT ordered by the apex court will comprise of two CBI officers, two state police officials, and a senior officer from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan said they do not want political drama over the issue since it is a matter of faith for crores of devotees across the world. The allegations have the potential of hurting the sentiments of people worldwide, the bench said.

“We clarify that we have not gone into allegations and counter allegations in either plea. We will not permit the court to be used as a political battleground. To assuage feelings of crores of people, we find that an investigation by an independent SIT consisting of representatives of state police, CBI, and FSSAI, shall be done. We also direct that investigation is under the director of CBI,” said Justice Gavai.

“We don’t want this to turn into political drama. If there is an independent body, there will be confidence,” said Justice Gavai.

The temple authorities alleged that their ghee supplier exploited the temple’s lack of in-house food testing facilities. The Tamil Nadu-based dairy firm that had supplied ghee to Tirumala in June and July claimed that its consignments had cleared lab tests and that it had documents to prove it.