The Supreme Court on Friday formed an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of using animal fat in the preparation of Tirupati laddus. The SIT will include two officials each from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Andhra Pradesh Police, along with a senior official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The bench also stated that the investigation will be overseen by the CBI Director.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan, while emphasizing that the court will not be used as a "political battleground," issued the order in response to a series of pleas, including those requesting a court-monitored investigation into the matter.
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"We don't want this to turn into a political drama," the bench observed. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that if there was any element of truth in the allegations, it was unacceptable.
He proposed that a senior official from the central government supervise the investigation by the SIT. During the hearing on September 30, the Supreme Court requested Mehta to help determine whether the investigation led by the state-appointed SIT should proceed or if it should be handled by an independent agency. The court instructed the top law officer to consider this matter and provide assistance accordingly.