New Delhi: Admonishing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for holding a press conference on the presumption that adulterated ghee was used in the preparation of laddus at the Venkateswara temple, the Supreme Court Monday said, “We expect the Gods to be kept away from politics.”
The top court was hearing a set of four petitions demanding an independent probe into the Tirupati laddu controversy.
In one petition, BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy questioned Naidu’s allegations that ghee adulterated with lard (pig fat), tallow (beef fat), and fish oil was used to prepare the famous Tirupati laddu prasadam during the term of the previous YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh. This had been denied by the CEO of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) that manages the operations of temple.
In the order Monday, the bench of justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Vishwanathan said Naidu should not have gone public without being sure about the use of contaminated ghee.
Moreover, if the state government was already contemplating a special investigating team (SIT) to probe the incident, the CM should have refrained from making any statement on the controversy that has affected the sentiments of crores of people, the bench noted.
The judges felt the actions of the state government discrediting the company that was supplying the alleged adulterated ghee is often a method used to justify the rejection of a contract and stop payments.
“Prima facie, we are of the view that when a probe is under process, it is not appropriate for a high constitutional authority to go in public and make a statement,” the judges noted in their order, while mulling the option of transferring the probe from state-constituted SIT to an independent body.
They directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to assist the bench and give his suggestions on behalf of the central government.
In his brief submission Mehta said since the issue at hand affects religious sentiments of Tirupati devotees, it needs “to be examined”. The senior law officer will revert to the court with his inputs Thursday.
Meanwhile, the bench directed the state-constituted SIT to keep its “hands off” the probe.
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‘Was the sample ghee used to prepare laddus?’
Naidu had made the allegations about the use of adulterated ghee at a press conference on 18 September. This was on the basis of a central government laboratory report that came after TTD submitted a sample of the ghee in July because it received complaints over the low quality of laddu prasadam.
Pointing to the report, the bench Monday asked how the CM could make a statement to the public if the laboratory report did not indicate that the same ghee was used to prepare the laddus.
“The sample that was found not conforming to the standards, was it used to prepare the laddus? If you had ordered the investigation, what was the urgency of going to the press?” asked Justice Gavai.
Justice Vishwanathan added, “When tenders called for a product and if it has to be rejected then there has to be a basis for it. Where is the proof that this ghee (sent to the laboratory) was used for preparation.”
The bench also appeared unconvinced with TTD’s explanation that the ghee had been sent for testing because the temple laddu prasadam tasted different. “If that was so, then was the laddu sent for testing to find out whether it was contaminated or not?” the judges asked.
Justice Gavai asked the senior counsel if the government had sent the laddus which allegedly tasted different to the laboratory. TTD counsel, senior advocate Siddharth Luthra said that the TTD had filed a complaint with the police and it was up to the SIT to get the laddus checked.
TTD counsel shares timeline of the events
Defending the TTD’s decision to cancel the ghee supply contract given to private contractor A.R. Dairy, which was hired by the earlier YSRCP government, and replace it with a brand supplied by the Karnataka Milk Federation, Luthra shared a timeline of events that led to the testing of the ghee.
According to him, the tender to supply ghee was floated on 28 December 2023; it was opened on 12 March 2024; the supply order was issued on 15 May; the supply schedule was provided on 20 May; and the company provided ghee four times—12, 20, and 25 June and 4 July.
After CM Naidu took charge on 12 June, the new government looked into the complaints regarding the quality of laddus, Luthra claimed. Therefore, the samples were picked from the supplies that were received on 6 and 12 July and sent to the central laboratory.
According to Luthra, the ghee delivered on the above two mentioned dates were not used to make the laddus. He also informed the bench that, though samples from the earlier supplies were tested, they were sent to a TTD’s laboratory in Andhra Pradesh to determine the fat content in the ghee and not to ascertain whether they were adulterated or not.
At this, Justice Vishwanathan enquired how the board determined that ghee supplied by a particular vendor was bad.
“You have many contractors and you mix the ghee before using it for the preparation (of the laddus), how do you know that a particular supply is contaminated,” the judge asked, asserting the CM brought the controversy into public domain without waiting for the investigation’s findings.
Defending the CM, Luthra said Naidu had issued the statement after the show cause notices issued to the ghee supplier became public knowledge. When the senior counsel started pointing to more defects in the supply, Justice Vishwanathan asked, “You may say that tenders are wrongly awarded, but to say that this ghee is adulterated, where is that coming from?”
Luthra also submitted that Naidu’s allegation that beef tallow was mixed into the ghee used in the preparation of the laddus was based on the laboratory report.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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