Tirupati laddu controversy: Supreme Court orders fresh investigation by SIT

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a fresh investigation into the controversy over the alleged use of adulterated ghee to prepare laddus distributed to devotees as prasad at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. According to the SC, a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) will have officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation, Andhra Pradesh Police, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

CREDIT: BCCL

'Sentiments of crores of people involved'

An SC Bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan also said that it has not gone into allegations or counter-allegations, while adding that it will not allow the apex court to become a political battlefield.

¡°We do not want this to turn into a political drama because the sentiments of crores of people across the world are involved. Therefore, if there is an independent body, everybody will have confidence,¡± the SC said.

Also read: Sanctity of Tirupati laddu restored, says TTD after controversy over animal fat in ghee used in the 'prasadam'

CREDIT: BCCL

'Nothing to show animal fat was used'

Earlier, on Monday, the SC had observed that there was prima facie nothing to show that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus during the previous YSRCP government.

'Keep Gods away from politics'

The court had also noted that 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.

CREDIT: BCCL

Tirupati laddu controversy

The Tirupati laddu, which is offered as Naivedyam to Venkateswara at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and distributed to devotees as 'prasadam' was embroiled in an unprecedented controversy over the use of adulterated and inferior quality ghee for its preparation.

CREDIT: BCCL

Last month the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, located on the Tirumala hills of Tirupati, and Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu had alleged that a test report by a Gujarat-based lab found the presence of "beef tallow", 'lard', and 'fish oil.'

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