- Friday, October 04, 2024
The Supreme Court bench said the probe by the special investigation team will be supervised by the CBI Director
By: Shajil Kumar
THE SUPREME COURT on Friday constituted an independent special investigation team (SIT) to conduct probe into allegations of use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus.
The SIT will comprise two officials each from the CBI and the Andhra Pradesh Police besides a senior FSSAI official.
The bench said the probe by the SIT will be supervised by the CBI Director.
Observing that it will not allow the court to be used as a “political battleground”, a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan passed the order on a batch of pleas, including those seeking a court-monitored probe into the matter.
“We don’t want this to turn into a political drama,” the bench observed.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that if there was any element of truth in the allegations, it was unacceptable.
He suggested that the probe by the SIT can be supervised by some senior official of the central government.
Hearing the matter on September 30, the top court asked Mehta to assist it in deciding whether the investigation by the state-appointed SIT should continue or the probe should be conducted by an independent agency.
It had asked the top law officer to ponder over the issue and assist it in this regard.
Telugu Desam welcomes move
The ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision.
TDP spokesperson Pattabhiram Kommareddy said the state government’s intention is to bring out the truth and punish culprits who played with the sentiments of crores of devotees of Lord Venkateswara Swamy.
“We welcome the Supreme Court’s direction. We don’t have any issue with it. Crores of Hindus across the globe are demanding to put those people (culprits) behind bars and give them stringent punishment because they have played with their sentiments,” the TDP spokesperson told PTI.
Pattabhiram hoped that the investigation by the SIT would be a time-bound one.
He said now the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the official custodian of Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, is procuring pure cow ghee and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) is going to set up a lab at Tirumala to check adulteration if any in the ingredients.
During a NDA meeting in the southern state last month, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had alleged that the erstwhile YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making laddus, which are revered and sought after by crores of devotees.
The allegations sparked a massive controversy across the country. (PTI)
