The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Andhra Pradesh government over the huge controversy over Tirupati laddu and prasadam, saying it hoped that at least “God will be kept out of politics”.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan held that it was inappropriate for a “constitutional official” to make statements that could “influence public sentiment”. “You have ordered the SIT. Until the results come out, what is the need to go to the press?… Once you hold a constitutional office, you are expected to do so… We believe that God will remove the I hope it will be kept away,” Judge Gabai said.
The court is under court watch over Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s claim that the previous YSRCP government used animal fat in ghee to make laddoo and prasadam consecrated at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala. The court was hearing a series of petitions calling for an investigation.
Later, after hearing the submissions, the SC said in its order: “We are of the prima facie view that it was not appropriate for some senior constitutional official to make a statement that could influence public sentiment when an investigation was underway.”
He set the date for the next hearing for October 3 and said it would be appropriate for the attorney general to assist the court in determining whether the Special Investigation Team (SIT) should continue or whether an independent investigation should be carried out. .
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that it was a matter of faith and if contaminated ghee was used in preparing laddoos, it was unacceptable. “Someone will need to step into the question of whether it (adulterated ghee) was used and if so, by whom. This affects the emotions of billions of people. It is giving…it should not have gone to the press in the first place,” the court told the Andhra Pradesh government.
Also, know what is the evidence that contaminated ghee was used to make laddoos and if the state government has already directed an inquiry into the matter, why put the lab report in the press? I asked him if he had made it public.
“(The report) is not clear at all. Why bother going to the press if they had already ordered an investigation? The report was submitted in July and the statement was submitted in September. The report prima facie indicates that this was not the material used in the preparation. Unless you are sure, how did you make it available to the public? What was the purpose of the investigation?” Justice Viswanathan asked. .
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing on behalf of the state government, said the petition before the SC was “not legitimate” and was an attempt by the previous government to attack the current government.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra said ghee has been procured from private vendors for the past few years. He claimed that there were quality complaints and a show cause notice was also issued against the contractor.
“Was the ghee used for prasadam rather than non-conformity?” Justice Gavai asked, to which Luthra replied, “We are investigating.”
“So there was a need to go to the press right away? Religious sentiments need to be respected,” Justice Gavai said. Justice Viswanathan said: “There is no evidence that this is the ghee used to prepare the laddoos. Where is it?” he asked.
Mr. Luthra was present in court on all important dates of the dispute. “How many contractors were supplying the materials? Is approved ghee being mixed? It is not clear anywhere if it is being used. It was tested and the report is in the public domain. The case has been filed and investigation is pending,” Justice Viswanathan said.
In response, Luthra said a second test will be conducted if the product is found to be unsuitable. “On July 6, fresh supplies arrive and are sent to the lab. We receive the lab reports. These were not used,” he said.
“Did the laboratory take samples from the June 12 tanker? And the June 20 tanker?” Justice Gavai asked, seeking details of the timeline for setting up the SIT and Naidu’s statement.
The three petitions listed are senior BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy, Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, historian Dr Vikram Sampath and spiritual utterer Dushyans. -It was written by Mr. Sridhar.
What is a controversy?
World-famous Tirupati laddu and prasadam are at the center of a huge controversy after the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister alleged that the ghee used to make them contains ‘beef tallow’. It becomes.
He said his predecessor YS Jagan Mohan Reddy did not even spare the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and used substandard ingredients to make sweets that were distributed to billions of devotees every day. he accused. There has been outrage over the issue, with Hindus claiming it has hurt their religious sentiments.
On September 27, the state government appointed a nine-member SIT to investigate the issue of alleged adulteration in the form of animal fat in laddoos and prasadam. “The Government of Andhra Pradesh, in keeping with its commitment to safeguard the sanctity of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), considers it necessary to convene a meeting for a detailed and comprehensive inquiry into the entire issue. “There is,” said Chief Secretary Neerab. Kumar Prasad.
TTD is the official custodian of Tirupati temple. On September 22, Naidu announced at his Undavalli residence that the SIT would investigate the blasphemy charge of adulteration of laddoos. The SIT is headed by Guntur Range Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sarvashreth Tripathi and other police officials.
YSRCP leaders, however, said that the investigation into the allegations by the agency reporting to the CM was not enough and demanded an investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
