The Supreme Court on Friday set up an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the allegations of use of animal fat in the preparation of laddus at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh to serve as prasadam to devotees and the worshippers of Lord Venkateswara.

Setting up the SIT, eclipsing the one already constituted by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s government, a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said, “We don’t want this to turn into a political drama. If there is an independent body, there will be confidence” as the issue involves the sentiments of the crores of devotees across the world.

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The court ordered that the newly-constituted SIT will comprise two officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to be nominated by the CBI Director, two officers of the Andhra Pradesh police to be nominated by the state government and a senior official of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Further directing that the SIT will be supervised by the CBI Director, the top court said that the new SIT, ordered by it, would override the one already set-up by the Andhra Pradesh government. However, the court clarified that the setting up of a new SIT by it should not be seen as a reflection on the credibility of the members of the SIT which was constituted by the state government.

Disposing of the petitions seeking the top court’s intervention in the matter, the court said, “We clarify that we will not permit the Court to be used as a political battleground.”

Defending the SIT set up by the Andhra Pradesh government, the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the central government, told the court that there was nothing wrong with the SIT set up by the State government and it could be supervised by an officer from the Centre.

Further stating that if there is any element of truth in the allegation, it is “unacceptable”, Solicitor General Mehta said, “Devotees are all over the country, food safety is also there. I did not find anything against the members of state SIT.”

The ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh is an alliance partner of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre.

Appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi stated a wish to go ahead with the SIT constituted by it and any officer of the court’s choice can be added in the team.

Rohatgi said, “There can be no allegation against the present SIT” constituted by the State government.

Appearing for Rajya Sabha member and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman YV Subba Reddy, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, sought the setting up of an independent investigation team.

Sibal said that the SIT set up by the State government cannot be expected to carry out an independent investigation in the light of the prior statements made by Chief Minister Naidu.

Appearing for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, senior advocate Siddhartha Luthra said the ghee consignments which reached the hill on July 6 and 12 were contaminated and the contract was given to the supplier in December by the previous regime.

The top court order setting up an independent SIT came in the course of the hearing of a batch of petitions including by BJP leader Subramanium Swamy; Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy; Hindu Sena Samiti president Surjit Singh Yadav; historian Dr Vikram Sampath, owner of Sudarshan TV, Suresh Chavhanke and others.

The top court on September 30, had pulled up Chief Minister Naidu for making a statement about the use of contaminated ghee in preparation of laddus, even prior to the registration of FIR and ordering an SIT probe into the matter.

“Where was the justification for him (Naidu) to go to the press on September 18, and say all this, when a probe had already been ordered by the State into the allegations. There was no concrete proof that the contaminated ghee was actually used in preparation of laddus. There were five suppliers, the supply from only one supplier was found to have been contaminated,” the top court had said.