SC to hear petitions on alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati laddus, demands for investigation

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear multiple petitions on Monday regarding allegations of animal fat being used in the preparation of the famous Tirupati laddus. The controversy arose after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous YSR Congress government, led by Jagan Mohan Reddy, of using animal fat in the laddus distributed as ‘prasad’ at the Sri Venkateswara Temple.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and YV Subba Reddy, a Rajya Sabha MP from the YSR Congress Party and former chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), have both filed petitions calling for a court-monitored investigation into the matter.

The case will be heard by a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan. One of the petitions, filed by advocate Satyam Singh, demands the formation of a judicial committee or a CBI probe into the alleged “criminal conspiracy and mismanagement” of the TTD Trust.

The petition claims that investigations revealed disturbing facts, including the use of non-vegetarian products like bird meat, animal fat, lard (pig fat), and fish oil in the preparation of the ‘prasadam’, which violated religious customs and deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees. The petition argues that this violation of religious practices infringes on Article 25 of the Constitution, which protects religious freedom.

Additionally, a plea seeks the appointment of a committee, either under the Supreme Court’s direct oversight or headed by a retired SC judge, to investigate the allegations. Earlier, a letter petition was submitted to Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, urging Supreme Court intervention in light of the alleged use of animal fat in the ‘prasadam’ during the YSR Congress rule.

The Andhra Pradesh government has since formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the claims of ghee adulteration. Chief Minister Naidu stated that after the SIT’s findings, the state would take appropriate action against those involved in the use of adulterated ghee for the temple’s ‘prasadam’.