Supreme Court Stays High Court Order in Tirupati Laddoo Investigation Controversy

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday provided relief to the CBI in the Tirumala Tirupati laddoo controversy by staying the Andhra Pradesh High Court's ruling. The High Court had previously determined that the CBI director acted against the top court's directives by permitting an officer not officially part of the special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the case.

"If the SIT wants to appoint a special officer, what's wrong with that?" remarked a bench consisting of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran.

The High Court had stated that the CBI director contradicted the Supreme Court's 2024 directions by allowing J Venkat Rao to investigate allegations regarding "adulterated ghee" used in preparing prasadam at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Andhra Pradesh.

According to the High Court, it had ordered the creation of an independent five-member SIT comprising two CBI officers (nominated by the director), two Andhra Pradesh Police officers (nominated by the state), and one senior Food Safety and Standards Authority of India official.

The court maintained that since Venkat Rao was not specifically designated as one of the state's representatives in the SIT, he could not exercise investigative authority in the matter.

This High Court order resulted from a petition filed by Kaduru Chinnappanna, who alleged harassment by Mr. Rao.

Mr. Chinnappanna claimed he was repeatedly summoned by Mr. Rao, compelled to appear before the SIT office in Tirupati, and pressured to provide "scripted false statements."

Representing the CBI director, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contended that the High Court erroneously concluded that an officer involved in the investigation had not been officially appointed as a SIT member formed under the Supreme Court's 2024 directives.

In September last year, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat was used in Tirupati laddus preparation during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration. The opposition firmly denied these allegations.

Following Supreme Court orders, the CBI established a five-member SIT in November last year to investigate the case.