The Supreme Court rejected a petition by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging Andhra Pradesh’s formation of a one-man committee to address issues with allegedly adulterated ghee for Tirumala laddus. The Court clarified that the state’s administrative inquiry and the Special Investigation Team’s probe can run concurrently without interference. The petition claimed that the committee disrupted the SIT investigation into ghee adulteration for Tirupati temple laddus.
The Chief Justice of India-led bench emphasized the need to avoid overlap between the administrative inquiry and the court-directed probe. It stated that the administrative inquiry should not impede the investigation directed by the Supreme Court. The Court directed both processes to proceed independently but in compliance with the law to prevent any conflict.
Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing the Andhra Pradesh government, argued that the petition was filed with malicious intent to obstruct departmental proceedings. The state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, formed a committee to identify those responsible for the alleged ghee adulteration at the Tirupati temple. Retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar was appointed to examine the Self-Contained Note submitted by the SIT and recommend actions against committee members and senior TTD officials.
