Tirupati Laddu Row: SIT Probe Suspended Till Next Hearing in SC

New Delhi: The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday suspended the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the Tirupati Laddu adulteration allegation till next Supreme Court hearing. scheduled on October 3. Notably, the SIT was constituted by the state government to probe the allegations. 

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said the suspension of probe was announced as a precautionary measure to ensure the investigation's integrity.

The probe panel, formed amid a controversy over the presence of animal fats in the ghee used to prepare the revered offering, was spearheaded by Guntur Range Inspector General of Police, Sarvashresth Tripathi. However, it will remain suspended until further orders in the wake of the ongoing hearing on the matter in the apex court.

Tirupati Laddu Row: SC Hearing

While hearing the matter on September 30, the apex court criticised Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for making public allegations about the use of adulterated ghee in the preparation of laddus offered as prasadam at Tirumala Tirupati Temple.

In a blow to the state government, the bench remarked, “When you hold a constitutional office, it is expected that you exercise restraint…We expect Gods to be kept away from politics…Prima facie, there is no concrete proof at this stage to show that adulterated ghee was used in the laddus.” 

The court posted the matter for next hearing on October 3.

All About Tirupati Laddu Controversy

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) came under spotlight over Tirupati prasadam after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were found in the laddus served to devotees at Tirupati temple during the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy's government.

On September 20, TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao in a press conference said lab tests had revealed the presence of animal fat and lard in chosen samples and the board is in the process of blacklisting the contractor who supplied "adulterated" ghee.

During an NDA legislative party meeting, the TDP supremo claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.

Hitting back at Nadu, YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused him of being a "habitual liar" and wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging his intervention.

The Tirupati laddu, a much-revered offering, has long been a symbol of purity and devotion for millions of pilgrims. The revered Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala is also known as Tirupati Balaji temple which witnesses millions of footfalls over the years with people from across the world coming to pay obeisance to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.