Tirupati Laddu Row : Supreme Court To Hear Pleas Seeking Independent Probe Into Adulteration Allegations On Sept 30

The Supreme Court will hear on September 30 a batch of petitions seeking Court-monitored investigation into the allegations levelled by TDP-led Andhra Pradesh government regarding use of adulterated ghee in preparation of laddus at the Tirumala Tirupati Temple during the previous YSRCP regime.

The matter has been listed before a bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan.

To state briefly, the controversy arises out of a lab report made public by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, as per which, samples of ghee supplied to Tirupati temple for preparation of laddus during the term of the previous YSRCP government were found to contain foreign fats (including beef fat and fish oil).

About 5 petitions seem to have been filed so far seeking reliefs including Court-monitored probe into the allegations and more accountability in Hindu temples managed by government bodies.

(I) Petition by Suresh Khanderao Chavhanke

One of the petitions has been filed by Suresh Khanderao Chavhanke, Editor of Sudarshan News TV, seeking an investigation by a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge or a retired High Court Chief Justice into the matter. He argues that the use of non-vegetarian ingredients in the prasadam violated the fundamental rights of devotees under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, which guarantee freedom of religion and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs in matters of religion.

Through his petition, Chavhanke has also sought the appointment of a retired Supreme Court Judge or High Court Chief Justice to oversee the management of temples and shrines to ensure transparency and adherence to religious customs.

(II) Petition by Surjit Singh Yadav

A second petition has been filed by Surjit Singh Yadav, President of Hindu Sena, who seeks investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged use of adulterated ghee in the laddus.

Yadav claims that the alleged use of animal fat in preparing the laddus resulted in hurting the sentiments of the Hindu devotees of Tirupati Balaji.

(III) Petition by Dr. Subramanian Swamy

The third petition has been filed by senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking investigation by a Court-monitored committee. Besides praying for the appointment of a Committee, Swamy has sought direction for a detailed report from the authorities on the forensics of the ghee sample used by the concerned lab (including its source).

As per Swamy, the issue ought to have been dealt with within the confines of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). However, it was politicized and made a propaganda out of, causing deep hurt to crores of worshippers of Lord Venkateshwara.

It is further Swamy's case that if the quality of supplies tendered for preparation of prasadam/laddus falls below the prescribed standard, the material is returned to the supplier with a condition that they comply with the prescribed norms.

Pertinently, Swamy has included in his petition certain questions which can be gone into by the proposed Committee:

- Was the sampling done/procured by the lab-testing agency?

- Was the sample of ghee taken from the ghee which was used in the offerings or from the rejected lot of samples?

- Which supplier was concerned with procurement of the said adulterated ghee?

- Whether the said report has scope for a false positive result?

- When was or whether the said ghee procured or rejected after internal testing of the Respondent No.3(TTD)?

- Whether any political intervention should be permissible in releasing such reports and not be the TTD?

(IV) Petition by YV Subba Reddy

The fourth petition is by Rajya Sabha MP and ex-TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy, who seeks independent investigation by a Court-monitored Committee, or by a retired judge of the Court alongwith domain experts, into the allegations of adulteration.

Besides the above, Reddy seeks a direction to the respondent-authorities for preparation of a report regarding "the detailed-forensics of the lab-report and the source of Ghee used in that report as sampling and source of precurement with all additional details".

The ex-TTD Chairman says that as per standard operating procedure in Tirumala, the moment any cow ghee carrying vehicle arrives at the temple complex/premises, the concerned officer draws sample from the said tank/vehicle and conducts basic test. If the test reports match with the specification given in the tender document, then only the said cow ghee would be used for preparation of prasadams including Laddu Prasadams, otherwise the said vehicle is sent back without any relaxation.

"Therefore, it is incorrect to state or allege that any such ghee is USED for preparation of any prasadam for lord Venkateswara", the plea states.

The petition impleads Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu and states that his remarks on the use of animal fat in the Tirumala Laddu prasadam has disturbed sentiments of large number of devotees of Lord Venkateswara.

It is further alleged that there is a discrepancy in the statements of the TTD and the Andhra CM, and if the lab reports in question were obtained in July, 2024, the state government was silent for more than 2 months.

(V) Petition by Dr. Vikram Sampath and Dushyanth Sridhar

The fifth petition is filed by historian Dr. Vikram Sampath and spiritual discourser Dushyanth Sridhar, "to divest government/bureaucratic hold over temples". The duo seeks establishment of accountability in Hindu temples managed by government bodies.

The petitions filed by Subramanian Swamy, YV Subba Reddy and Vikram Sampath are seen listed on Monday.