Published Feb 23, 2026 | 1:55 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 23, 2026 | 1:55 PM
Tirupati Laddu. (X)
Synopsis: The court disposed of the writ petition filed by former MP Subramanian Swamy, who argued that the state’s parallel probe could undermine the apex court-supervised criminal proceedings. The court cleared both processes to proceed independently.
The Supreme Court on Monday, 23 February, declined to halt an inquiry by the Andhra Pradesh government-constituted one-man committee into administrative lapses, which allegedly led to the adulteration of ghee used in making the temple’s famed laddus.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi ruled that the administrative probe would not overlap with the criminal investigation concluded by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The Bench said that an administrative inquiry will not overlap the criminal proceedings after which the chargesheet and supplementary chargesheet had been filed in the case.
It pointed out that there was no conflict of interest or overlap. As the scope of the investigation has been well demarcated, the petitioner’s apprehension lacked sufficient basis.
The court disposed of the writ petition filed by former MP Subramanian Swamy, who argued that the state’s parallel probe could undermine the apex court-supervised criminal proceedings. The court cleared both processes to proceed independently.
Senior Advocate Rajashekhar Rao, appearing for Swamy, noted the committee was formed after the SIT had concluded its probe and warned that it risked interference. He recalled the court’s prior caution to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu against premature public statements, which continued even post-investigation from official platforms.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Andhra Pradesh, called the intention of the petition mala fide and said it was aimed at derailing legitimate departmental proceedings.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Naidu, stressed the committee’s purely departmental mandate.
The row erupted in 2024 when Naidu alleged the presence of animal fat in ghee supplied for making Tirumala laddus under the previous YSR Congress Party regime. It ignited a major storm over the laddu prasadam‘s sanctity.
The SIT probed corruption, substandard procurement, and supply-chain failures, focusing on regulatory lapses beyond religious aspects. The probe did not find evidence to establish that animal fat was used in the ghee, but concluded that it was adulterated with chemicals.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
