Taste of Tirupati Laddu, adulteration and unknown… who said what during the hearing in the Supreme Court

New Delhi: Hearing on petitions related to Tirupati laddu controversy took place in the Supreme Court on Monday. During the hearing on the petition, the Supreme Court said that God should be kept away from politics. The Supreme Court asked many questions to the lawyer of Andhra Pradesh government. The court said that after ordering the SIT investigation, what was the need to go to the press. The Supreme Court said that the SIT investigation could not have been stopped till the results came. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan also asked what was the point in making a public statement when an investigation into the case had already been ordered. What was the need? The Supreme Court also asked what was the evidence that contaminated ghee was used in making laddus in the Tirupati temple. On this, lawyer Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Tirupati temple, told the bench that we are investigating.

After this Justice Gavai asked what was the need to go to the press immediately? You need to respect religious sentiments. When Luthra told the court that people had complained that the laddus did not taste good, the court asked whether the laddus which tasted different had been sent to a lab to find out if they were adulterated.

Justice Vishwanathan then asked whether prudence does not dictate that you seek a second opinion. Under normal circumstances we seek a second opinion. The bench is hearing petitions seeking investigation into the alleged use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus.

Apart from Subramanian Swamy, YV Subba Reddy, Vikram Sampath and Dushyant Sridhar, Suresh Chavan had 4 petitions in the Supreme Court. Senior advocate Rajashekhar Rao, appearing for Swamy, told the court that he/she had come here as a devotee and the statement given in the press about adulteration of Prasad could have far reaching consequences. Many more issues may arise from this. This is a matter of concern. If there is any question mark on God’s offerings then it should be investigated.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had earlier this month claimed that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in the state. This gave rise to large-scale political controversy.