On Thursday, the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of the matter on which agency should investigate the allegations. spoiled ghee in making prasadam laddus in Tirupati temple of Andhra Pradesh until Friday as the Solicitor General wants more time to file a response.
The court gave Mehta, representing the Centre, time till 10.30 am on Friday to respond.
In the final hearing, a bench headed by Justice BR Gavai sought the SG’s help on whether the SIT constituted by the Andhra Pradesh government should continue with the investigation or if the matter requires investigation by a central agency.
The court was hearing three petitions filed by senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, and a third by historian Vikram Sampath and spiritual speaker Dushyant Sridhar.
During the last hearing, the high court questioned Chandrababu Naidu for coming forward with allegations that adulterated ghee with animal fat was used to prepare the famous laddus at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati without sufficient evidence.
“So what was the need to go to the media at all, when you yourself ordered an investigation”, the high court asked, noting “At least, Gods should be kept out of politics”.
The high court said that people in constitutional positions are expected to separate religion from politics, saying that Prime Minister Naidu spoke on this issue before the case was opened. A special investigation team (SIT) was formed..
The court said that Naidu made the plea on September 18, though the FIR was lodged on September 25 and the SIT team was formed on September 26.
Chandrababu Naidu earlier this month suspected that animal fat is used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, which created a huge political controversy.
On September 19, a report by NDDB CALF, an independent laboratory specializing in testing animal feed and milk and dairy products, revealed that samples of ghee used in making Tirupati laddus contained foreign oils, including palm oil, fish oil, beef and tallow. . lard (obtained by rendering the fatty tissues of the pig).