Tirupati laddu row: After SC remarks, Andhra Pradesh govt suspends SIT probe into Ghee adulteration until Oct 3

Tirupati: In a significant development, the Andhra Pradesh government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) will temporarily halt its investigation into the alleged adulteration of ghee used to make the iconic Tirupati Laddu.

The state DGP, Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, announced the decision on Tuesday, halting the probe until October 3 due to the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court.

He said the probe would begin after receiving directions from the Apex Court. The Apex Court has scheduled the next hearing for October 3.

The Supreme Court, hearing a batch of petitions on Monday, slammed the Andhra Pradesh government for its hasty declaration that ghee adulterated with animal fat was used to make Tirupati Laddu prasadam without seeking a second opinion.

The Supreme Court also found fault with chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu for going public without having any conclusive report on adulteration.

“The investigation is suspended until October 3 due to the ongoing Supreme Court hearing. The court did not order the suspension of the investigation, but the government chose to do so on the advice of the advocates. We will proceed according to the Supreme Court's directions after the hearing on October 3. We cannot provide more details at the moment because the case is under the Supreme Court's purview and its sub judice," the DGP told reporters in Tirupati on Tuesday.

The DGP was in Tirupati to review the security arrangements for Brahmothsavams atop the Tirumala shrine, which will begin on October 4, coinciding with Dasara Navaratri festivities.

The Guntur range IG Sarvasresshta Tripathy, leading the SIT, has already carried out several field-level investigations, which include examining the supply and usage of ghee in TTD. The SIT team had reached Tirumala on Sunday and started understanding the ghee procurement procedure. In the last two days, the SIT members had focused on testing methods adapted by TTD to check the quality of the ghee.

On Tuesday, a team from SIT was supposed to go to Tamil Nadu to visit AR Dairy, which was facing allegations of adulteration of ghee with animal fat.

After reviewing the arrangements, Tirumala Rao said extensive security arrangements have been made for the Sri Vari Brahmotsavams, starting from October 4.

He said that during the Dhwajarohanam ceremony, the Chief Minister couple will present Pattu Vastrams silk robes on behalf of the state government. He stated that the state government is prioritizing security by utilizing CCTV cameras and mobile devices equipped with fingerprint technology.