The representatives of the committee called on Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer J Shyamal Rao and reportedly indicated their requirements for conducting the probe.
Published Nov 24, 2024 | 10:38 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 24, 2024 | 10:46 AM
Tirumala Tirupati Temple. (TTD Official Website)
Government is renowned for being like God: “The mills of god grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine,” goes the adage. Government procedures too are slow and cumbersome, and the results – government mills don’t grind “exceeding fine”.
On Friday, 22 November, a full month and a half after the Supreme Court ordered a probe into the case of animal fat in ghee used to make Tirumala laddu, the process began.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the apex court comprises two members each from the CBI and Andhra Pradesh Police. It also has one member from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
The representatives of the committee called on Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer J Shyamal Rao on Friday and reportedly indicated their requirements for conducting the probe.
After the committee was constituted on 4 October, it was decided that it would have CBI Joint Director (Hyderabad) S Veeresh Babu, CBI SP (Hyderabad) Murali Rambha, Guntur Inspector General (IG) Sarvashreshtha Tripati, Deputy Inspector General (Visakhapatnam Range) Gopinath Jetti and Satya Panda from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
For the time being the TTD allotted Bhudevi Complex near Garuda Statue at Alipiri for the SIT to base its operations.
The main team of the five officials is expected to arrive soon, but a team of lower-rung officials is reportedly making arrangements for the team’s stay in Tirupati.
Officials at present at the site include four officers of the DSP rank, eight of Inspector rank and two of SI rank. They will also have staff to do work that is not police-related. The team is seeking that TTD provide all facilities for their stay and for conducting the investigation.
The SIT is expected to focus its investigation on the report of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) that confirmed adulteration of a sample of the ghee sent for testing, that was later not used for the making of the Tirumala laddu.
The Supreme Court on 4 October ordered the constitution of the five-member committee, replacing the SIT formed by the AP state government, to probe the allegations.
The Justice BR Gavai-led bench, disposing of writ petitions filed by former MP Subrahmanian Swamy, former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, and others, ruled that the committee to be formed should work under the supervision of the CBI director.
The brief given to the committee by the apex court was that it should investigate the charge of adulteration in the making laddu at Tirumala temple, keeping in view the sentiments of the devotees.
“The committee is being formed to assuage the feelings of crores of people,” the bench had said.
A raging conflagration spread across the nation after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu made a sweeping allegation that under the previous YSRCP regime, adulterated ghee having animal fat was used in making Tirumala laddu.
He made the comment on 18 September during a meeting of the state-level NDA, to review three months of its rule in the state.
The Supreme Court judgement constituting the probe committee was made on a petition which sought the appointment of an independent inquiry panel to probe the allegations of whether ghee with animal fat was used in making laddus.
Earlier, the Supreme Court took objection to Naidu’s allegation that Tirumala laddus were made with ghee that had animal fat. The apex court wondered how he could make such a statement without any inquiry.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas.)
