New Delhi: The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that politics and religion cannot coexist. At the hearing of three petitions, the court said this. According to these petitions, ghee used to manufacture the laddus donated to the god at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh and given to pilgrims contained animal fat.
Tirupati Laddoo Row:
The Supreme Court posed a number of queries and emphasized the paucity of conclusive proof demonstrating the ghee’s contamination or the question of whether the tainted ghee was indeed utilized to make the laddus. In addition, the court mentioned the ongoing inquiry and issued a warning regarding “false positives” in tests.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s public remarks on this delicate subject were viewed critically by the court, particularly in light of the fact that his administration had already mandated an inquiry into the conclusions of a July report from a Gujarati laboratory. According to the research, there was fish oil, beef fat, and lard (pig fat) in the ghee.
We anticipate that, as the Chief Minister holding a constitutional position, you will keep politics distinct from matters of religion. Why go to the press if you had already authorized an investigation? The lab result was published in July. September is when you made your statement. Additionally, the report is incredibly unclear.
The Chief Minister’s remarks on September 20 regarding the purported presence of animal fat in the Tirupati laddu ghee, directed at his competitor and predecessor Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, plainly infuriated the bench, which is made up of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan.
The Chief Minister will face a warning from the court to refrain from making needless remarks, stating, “There must be restraint,” during the case’s planned follow-up hearing on Thursday afternoon.
Members of Mr. Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and his associated Jana Sena quickly repeated his remarks, igniting a significant political uproar in the southern state. Additionally, a “purification” ceremony for the well-known temple was announced by the Chief Minister and executed.
Mr. Reddy and his YSR Congress Party responded to these charges and attacks by denouncing the “malicious” statements and charging the TDP with lying for political advantage. They further asserted that the damage to the temple’s purity had come from Mr. Naidu’s disparaging comments. Later, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Reddy called Mr. Naidu a “habitual liar.”
Following petitions filed by YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Y.V. Subba Reddy and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, the dispute made its way to the Supreme Court. In addition, Mr. Reddy presided over the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, a state-run organization responsible for overseeing the temple of Tirupati.
While Mr. Reddy’s appeal called for an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the claims, Mr. Swamy’s plea asked the court to order the Andhra government to submit a thorough forensic report.
The Chief Minister was harshly criticized by the court on the first day of the hearing, saying, “You ordered a special investigation.” Was there a reason to go to the press until the findings were in? You’ve already made an appearance in situations like this twice.
The obviously displeased top court further noted that it was still unclear if the disputed ghee was actually utilized to produce the laddus.
Justice Gavai repeated, “Then why rush to the press? “after learning that the ghee’s quality testing was still in progress. Religious sentiments should be respected.”
“Where is the evidence that this ghee was used to make laddus?” the court asked. The tankers that were sent on July 6 and July 12 were observed to have undergone testing, and the temple administration stated that they were never utilized.
Samples from these tankers were used by the laboratory, not from the June batch that was used until July 4.
Additionally, the National Dairy Development Board’s Animal and Food Laboratory in Gujarat produced a study, which the court made public with a disclaimer.
The court made the observation, “The public may not be aware of this,” asking TDP senior attorney Siddharth Luthra to read it out. You made simply a statement, Chief Minister.
The words “A false positive can be obtained… this method does not apply” were then read by Mr. Luthra. and Justice Viswanathan continued, saying, “Isn’t it common sense to have a second opinion before making an announcement? We often seek a second viewpoint. The ghee in question was not used, according to any evidence.”
In the Tirupati kitchen, over 300,000 laddus are made daily using 1,500 kg of ghee, a lot of cashews, raisins, cardamom, gram flour, and sugar. According to reports, a supplier in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, provided the ghee.
