Supreme Court expresses concern over Tirumala laddu adulteration allegations

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday observed that making public statements about the alleged adulteration of Tirumala laddu without a proper investigation could have hurt devotees' sentiments.

During the hearing on the issue, the Supreme Court urged both sides to ensure that matters involving religious practices were kept away from political interference. The next hearing in the case was scheduled for October 3.

YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD chairman Y V Subba Reddy, along with BJP leader and lawyer Subramanyam Swamy, had filed petitions in the Supreme Court contesting the allegations made by the Andhra Pradesh government that the quality of Tirumala laddu had been compromised. Senior advocate Siddhartha Luthra represented the Andhra Pradesh government in the proceedings.

TTD officials explained that the ghee supplied by AR Foods had been inspected and sent for testing based on complaints from devotees about the quality of the laddu. Based on the initial report, officials suspected adulteration. However, the Supreme Court questioned why a second opinion had not been sought in light of the alleged quality issues.

The bench raised several questions, including whether the already prepared laddus had been tested for adulteration after the issue with the ghee was identified. The court highlighted the lack of conclusive evidence proving that the laddus had been prepared with adulterated ghee and expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of a second opinion from reputed laboratories, such as those in Mysore or Ghaziabad.

The Supreme Court directed the involved parties to present clear evidence to substantiate the claims regarding adulteration, insisting that a second opinion should have been sought to eliminate any doubts.