Tirupati: The Andhra Pradesh government has temporarily paused the investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged adulteration of ghee used in making Tirupati laddus, pending the next Supreme Court hearing on October 3. This decision follows the Supreme Court's criticism of the Andhra government for publicizing claims that animal fat was used in the laddus without conclusive evidence.
State Police Chief Dwaraka Tirumala Rao stated that the probe was halted as a "precautionary measure" to maintain the integrity of the investigation. He confirmed that the SIT had conducted several inspections, recorded statements, and carried out a preliminary investigation before the pause. Earlier, the SIT inspected the flour mill in Tirumala where the ghee is stored prior to its use in preparing laddus, which are distributed as prasadam to millions of devotees visiting the Tirupati temple each year.
The investigation began after an FIR was filed on September 25, and the SIT was formed the following day. However, the Supreme Court reprimanded the Andhra Pradesh government for publicly alleging that contaminated ghee was used in the laddus without solid proof. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan questioned the state's decision to go public, stating, "Unless you are sure, how did you go into public with that?"
The court emphasized that politics should not interfere with matters of faith and hinted that the probe might be transferred to an independent agency. The controversy started when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu cited a lab report alleging the presence of beef tallow, lard, and fish oil in the ghee used to make laddus during the previous YSRCP regime. Former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has strongly denied these allegations.
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