The Supreme Court, while hearing petitions related to the use of ghee in the making of Tirupati laddoos, emphasized that religion and politics should not be intertwined. The petitions were filed after allegations surfaced that animal fat was found in the ghee used for the laddoos offered to devotees at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh.
During the hearing, the court raised concerns over the lack of conclusive evidence regarding the alleged contamination of ghee and whether it was used in making the laddoos. The ongoing inquiry and the possibility of a “false positive” test result were also mentioned by the court.
The court expressed dissatisfaction with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s public statements on the matter, especially since his administration had already initiated an investigation following a Gujarat lab report that claimed the presence of animal fats, such as fish oil, beef tallow, and lard, in the ghee used for the offerings.
The court questioned the timing of Naidu’s statements, noting that his comments were made in September, while the lab report was released in July. The bench, consisting of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan, urged the Chief Minister to exercise restraint and warned against making unnecessary remarks, scheduling the next hearing for Thursday.
Naidu’s comments sparked a political controversy, with members of his Telugu Desam Party, as well as allies like the Jana Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party, supporting his stance. In response, Naidu conducted a ‘purification’ ceremony at the Tirupati temple.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his YSR Congress Party dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Reddy accused Naidu of damaging the temple’s sanctity through his comments, and even wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, labeling Naidu as a “pathological liar.”
The case reached the Supreme Court through petitions filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy, who also chairs the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, the trust that manages the Tirupati temple. The court is expected to continue its examination of the matter.
