The high court had observed that the CBI chief violated previous Supreme Court directives by appointing an officer outside the SIT to investigate the allegations.
Published Sep 26, 2025 | 12:38 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2025 | 12:38 PM
Tirumala laddu row Supreme Court orders setting up of 5-member probe panel
Synopsis: The Supreme Court stayed the Andhra Pradesh High Court order, which directed the CBI to halt further investigation into the alleged adulteration of ghee used for the Tirumala laddu prasadam by unauthorised personnel.
The Supreme Court on Friday, 26 September, stayed the Andhra Pradesh High Court order, which directed the CBI to halt further investigation into the alleged adulteration of ghee used for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) laddu prasadam by unauthorised personnel.
The high court had observed that the CBI chief violated previous Supreme Court directives by appointing an officer outside the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegations.
The court specifically found fault with the CBI for the involvement of Additional Superintendent of Police J Venkata Rao, an officer appointed as an investigating officer (IO), though he was not part of the Supreme Court-mandated SIT.
Staying the high court order, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai said: “Has CBI given up the probe? No. So what is the problem in appointing an investigating officer? The officer will work under CBI only. Stay of the impugned order.”
The high court took objection to the CBI’s actions, which it deemed unauthorised without clearance from the Supreme Court, in the name of investigation. The court had also directed the CBI to file an affidavit on the entire issue.
In September 2024, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, leading the NDA government in the state, alleged that ghee supplied under the previous YSRCP regime (2019–2024) was adulterated with animal fats, including beef tallow, fish oil, and lard, based on a National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) lab report.
The claim ignited widespread indignation among devotees, who expressed outrage over the desecration of the sacred prasadam, while Opposition parties accused Naidu of politicising a religious issue.
However, the apex court questioned why the chief minister made such statements when the matter was under investigation. The bench observed that the lab report prima facie indicated that the lab reports were of the rejected ghee samples.
Prior to that, when South First inquired about the issue, an official working at the temple said animal fat has never been used in the history of TTD to prepare the famous laddus.
The apex court on 4 October 2024 constituted a five-member SIT, comprising two CBI officers (Joint Director S Veeresh Prabhu and SP Murali Rambha), two Andhra Pradesh Police officers (Guntur Range IG Sarvashrestha Tripathi and Visakhapatnam Range DIG Gopinath Jatti), and an FSSAI official (not announced at that time), under the CBI Director’s supervision.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
