NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday replaced the Andhra Pradesh govt-appointed special investigation team with a new SIT comprising officers from CBI, Andhra Pradesh Police and Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to probe alleged adulteration of the famous laddu prasadam of Tirupati.
"If there is substance in the allegations, it is a very serious matter but we will not allow the court to be made a political battleground," a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said. It replaced the TDP govt-appointed SIT with one that will comprise two officers each from CBI and the state police and an FSSAI officer. The probe will be monitored by the CBI director, the bench ordered.
Five PILs were filed in SC shortly after AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sept 18 alleged, based on a laboratory report, that ghee used in the preparation of laddu prasadam contained animal fat. Disposal of petitions by SC means the SIT need not submit its report to the court and it will have to be acted upon by the state govt.
SC: Need independent probe to assuage feelings of crores
The SC bench said though there was no doubting the ability of the state-appointed SIT, an independent one was required as the allegations in the FIR had “the potential of hurting sentiments of crores of devotees of Lord Venkateswara residing worldwide”.
The proceedings saw sharp exchanges between senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for AP govt, and Sidharth Luthra, for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board, on one side and senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Subramanian Swamy on the other side demanding an independent probe.
Responding to the court’s query regarding the Centre’s stand on the controversy, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said, “If there is any element of truth in the allegations, it is unacceptable.” He said the Centre did not have anything against the state-appointed SIT, whose officers were competent and capable to probe the controversy. He suggested that if the court wished, the Centre would depute a senior officer to supervise the probe.
The bench asked Rohatgi whether there was conclusive proof with the chief minister to make that statement on adulteration of prasadam. Rohatgi said according to the govt, there was conclusive proof and the SIT should be allowed to unearth the truth. “In question is the quality of ghee supplied by a contractor on two days — July 6 and 12 — and whether these contained animal fat,” he said. Sibal claimed that the ghee had vegetable fat, not animal fat.
Justice Viswanathan said the TTD Board chairman was on record that these two consignments were not used in the preparation of prasadam. Luthra said, “The shrine on the hill is sacrosanct. Nothing tainted can come there. The tankers on these two days were tested on the hill and found to be contaminated.” Sibal asked, “If the hill is sacrosanct, why were the tankers allowed to go to the hill?”
The bench said, “Fortunately or unfortunately, both sides are warring groups. We do not want any political drama in the court.”
In its order, the SC said, “We clarify that we have not gone into the allegations and counter-allegations of the petitioners or the state govt. We clarify that we will not permit the court to be used as a political battleground. However, to assuage the feelings of crores of people, we find that investigation should be conducted by an independent SIT consisting of representatives of state police, CBI and a representative of FSSAI. It will also be appropriate that the investigation is carried under the supervision of the CBI director.”
“We clarify that our order should not be construed as any reflection on the independence and fairness of officers of the (state-appointed) SIT. We are constituting an independent SIT only to assuage the feelings of crores of people having faith in the deity. We dispose of the petitions.”
"If there is substance in the allegations, it is a very serious matter but we will not allow the court to be made a political battleground," a bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said. It replaced the TDP govt-appointed SIT with one that will comprise two officers each from CBI and the state police and an FSSAI officer. The probe will be monitored by the CBI director, the bench ordered.
Five PILs were filed in SC shortly after AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sept 18 alleged, based on a laboratory report, that ghee used in the preparation of laddu prasadam contained animal fat. Disposal of petitions by SC means the SIT need not submit its report to the court and it will have to be acted upon by the state govt.
SC: Need independent probe to assuage feelings of crores
The SC bench said though there was no doubting the ability of the state-appointed SIT, an independent one was required as the allegations in the FIR had “the potential of hurting sentiments of crores of devotees of Lord Venkateswara residing worldwide”.
The proceedings saw sharp exchanges between senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for AP govt, and Sidharth Luthra, for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board, on one side and senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Subramanian Swamy on the other side demanding an independent probe.
Responding to the court’s query regarding the Centre’s stand on the controversy, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said, “If there is any element of truth in the allegations, it is unacceptable.” He said the Centre did not have anything against the state-appointed SIT, whose officers were competent and capable to probe the controversy. He suggested that if the court wished, the Centre would depute a senior officer to supervise the probe.
The bench asked Rohatgi whether there was conclusive proof with the chief minister to make that statement on adulteration of prasadam. Rohatgi said according to the govt, there was conclusive proof and the SIT should be allowed to unearth the truth. “In question is the quality of ghee supplied by a contractor on two days — July 6 and 12 — and whether these contained animal fat,” he said. Sibal claimed that the ghee had vegetable fat, not animal fat.
Justice Viswanathan said the TTD Board chairman was on record that these two consignments were not used in the preparation of prasadam. Luthra said, “The shrine on the hill is sacrosanct. Nothing tainted can come there. The tankers on these two days were tested on the hill and found to be contaminated.” Sibal asked, “If the hill is sacrosanct, why were the tankers allowed to go to the hill?”
The bench said, “Fortunately or unfortunately, both sides are warring groups. We do not want any political drama in the court.”
In its order, the SC said, “We clarify that we have not gone into the allegations and counter-allegations of the petitioners or the state govt. We clarify that we will not permit the court to be used as a political battleground. However, to assuage the feelings of crores of people, we find that investigation should be conducted by an independent SIT consisting of representatives of state police, CBI and a representative of FSSAI. It will also be appropriate that the investigation is carried under the supervision of the CBI director.”
“We clarify that our order should not be construed as any reflection on the independence and fairness of officers of the (state-appointed) SIT. We are constituting an independent SIT only to assuage the feelings of crores of people having faith in the deity. We dispose of the petitions.”
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