Tirupati Laddoo Row: The Supreme Court is set to hear petitions seeking an investigation into the alleged use of animal fat in the preparation of laddoos ‘prasadam’ in Tirupati on Monday.
The petitions have been filed by Bharatiya Jaata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman YV Subba Reddy, who is a Rajya Sabha MP.
Last week, a row erupted after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that animal fat was used to make laddoos given as ‘prasad’ by the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati under the previous YSR Congress government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Both Swamy and YV Subba Reddy have urged for a court-monitored probe into the allegations, and their petitions will be heard by a bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, according to media reports.
The BJP leader, in his public interest litigation (PIL) filed earlier this week, requested the Supreme Court to direct the Andhra Pradesh government to file a detailed report on the ghee used for making the laddoos. He also sought a detailed forensic report in the matter.
Citing a lab report, the state government had claimed that the ghee used in the laddoos contained traces of beef tallow, fish oil, and lard (pig fat).
“There ought to have been checks and balances internally to supervise and verify and check the quality, or the lack of it, of the suppliers supplying various ingredients to the temple that go into the making of the prasad,” the petition said.
Meanwhile, a PIL was also filed by YV Subba Reddy seeking an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) monitored by a retired judge of the apex court to probe the allegations levelled by Naidu’s.
Amid the controversy over Tirpati laddoos, Reddy has been going all out to defend his party against the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s claims. He has been reiterating that no adulterated ghee was used in the process of making laddoos.
Meanwhile, Chandrababu Naidu on Friday slammed Jagan Mohan Reddy and accused him of “spreading false information.” This comes after Reddy claimed that the TDP government obstructed his visit to Tirumala.
