New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking a CBI investigation regarding the alleged use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus under the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime. The plea was filed by K A Paul, a social activist and president of the organisation 'Global Peace Initiative'.
The matter came up before a bench comprising justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan. “Going by your prayer, we will have to create separate states for all temples, gurudwaras etc. We can't direct that a separate state be created for a particular” said the bench, dismissing the petition. The plea sought a comprehensive investigation by the CBI into the allegations of corruption and mismanagement surrounding the procurement and preparation of the Laddu Prasadam.
The plea contended that the allegations levelled by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that substandard ingredients were used in the preparation of 'Laddu Prasadam', including adulterated ghee, have raised serious concerns among devotees and tarnished the sanctity of this sacred offering.
Last month, the apex court had set up a five-member independent SIT to probe the allegations of animal fat used in preparing Tirupati laddus to "assuage the feelings of crores of people" while making clear that the court cannot be used as a "political battleground". The apex court had said that the independent SIT will comprise two officers each from the CBI and the Andhra Pradesh Police besides a senior official of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
