HomeNewsTirupati laddu row: Nothing to show, as of now, lard was used...

Tirupati laddu row: Nothing to show, as of now, lard was used in laddus, says Supreme Court

On Monday, September 30, 2024, the Supreme Court stated that there is currently no evidence to suggest that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) administration in Andhra Pradesh.

The Court criticized Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, remarking that he should have “kept the gods out of politics” before making public statements without verifying facts about the alleged use of lard in the laddus during the previous government. These statements, the Court noted, had the potential to harm the religious sentiments of millions of people worldwide.

A Bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan expressed that Mr. Naidu’s behavior was inappropriate for someone holding a high constitutional office.

The Court further observed that the Andhra Pradesh government only established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate contamination claims in the prasadam on September 26, and the First Information Report was filed on September 25. Despite this, Mr. Naidu made public allegations on September 18 without any supporting evidence.

“We are prima facie of the view that when an investigation is under process, it was not appropriate on the part of a high constitutional functionary to go public and make a statement which can affect the sentiments of crores of people,” the Court observed in its order.

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Justice Viswanathan noted that test reports available in the public domain did not prima facie indicate the use of animal fat in the preparation of the laddus. “As we stand today, there is nothing to show that the ghee used was contaminated,” the judge observed.

Justice Gavai asked whether the samples sent for the tests were taken from the same ghee used for the parasadam.

“You should have at least kept the gods away from politics,” Justice Gavai told the State, represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi.

The Bench asked the SIT to “hold its hands” until October 3, the next day of the hearing.

“He said in fact that contaminated ghee was never used… 100%,” Justice Gavai said.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the TTD, stated that the laddus did not “taste right,” and complaints about their quality were becoming more frequent.

“Was the laddus which tasted wrong sent for tasting then?” Justice Gavai asked Mr. Luthra, who promised to enquire on the point.

“He said in fact that contaminated ghee was never used… 100%,” Justice Gavai said.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for TTD, said the laddus were not “tasting right” and complaints were getting more frequent.

“Was the laddus which tasted wrong sent for tasting then?” Justice Gavai asked Mr. Luthra, who promised to enquire on the point.

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