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06-10-2024
Bureau Report + Agencies
NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court on Friday directed an investigation team to probe allegations that a sacred offering at one of the most visited Hindu temples was adulterated with animal fat that is considered sacrilege, the Bar and Bench legal website reported.
The allegation that the clarified butter used to prepare the sweet offering, called laddu, at the Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, contained traces of beef tallow, fish oil and lard, were made by the Andhra Pradesh state government, citing lab reports.
The allegation has sparked outrage in the Hindu-majority country in the past weeks and led to demands for an independent investigation.
The Venkateswara temple, which is almost 2,000-years old, has since undergone a four-hour purification ritual, the state government’s spokesperson said last month.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who took over in June, welcomed the court’s decision.
His government has said the adulteration was in samples collected before it come to power. Naidu’s predecessor, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, has rejected the accusation.
The court said the investigating team would include members from the federal and state police and India’s food safety authority, Bar and Bench said.
The Tirupati temple, one of the holiest Hindu shrines, is revered by millions of devotees across the globe. For these pilgrims, the laddu prasad offered at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala holds deep spiritual significance. It’s not just a sweet; it is a symbol of divine blessings. Recently, however, this sacred offering has been at the center of a controversy that has sparked widespread distress. Allegations that animal fat was used in the preparation of the laddus have led to a storm of outrage, shaking the faith of devotees and sparking political debates.
In light of the ongoing controversy, the Supreme Court of India has intervened, ordering a fresh investigation into these serious allegations. On October 3, the apex court directed the formation of an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter thoroughly. The court stressed the importance of an objective and impartial inquiry to uphold public confidence and ensure that the truth is revealed without political interference.
The court has proposed a five-member SIT for the investigation, carefully ensuring representation from multiple bodies to maintain neutrality. The team will include two officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), two representatives from the state government, and an expert from the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The inclusion of the FSSAI expert, a body specializing in food safety regulations, is intended to lend technical credibility to the investigation.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court emphasized that the investigation must be free from any political influence. The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, highlighted the sensitive nature of the issue, noting that millions of devotees could have their religious sentiments hurt if the matter is not handled carefully. The court expressed its determination to prevent the inquiry from turning into a “political drama,” a clear reflection of the concern over the polarizing debates that have erupted around the controversy.
The controversy began when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu publicly accused the former YSR Congress-led government, under Jagan Mohan Reddy, of allowing the use of animal fat in the sacred laddus during their tenure. This accusation has led to political tensions between the two parties, with the YSR Congress accusing Naidu of making the claims for political mileage. The timing of Naidu’s statement, which was made before an official FIR was filed.
