Tirupati Laddu row: SC dismisses Subramanian Swamy's plea against Andhra government's one-member probe panel

New Delhi [India], February 23 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the Andhra Pradesh government's decision to appoint a one-member committee to examine the report of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged adulteration of ghee used in preparing 'prashadam laddus' at the Tirupati Temple in Tirumala
Swamy had argued that once the Court had directed an SIT probe and the matter was under its consideration, the State could not initiate a parallel exercise. He contended that the one-member panel would overlap with the ongoing criminal proceedings.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi rejected the plea, holding that the State's administrative inquiry would not interfere with the criminal case.
"Such an administrative inquiry, in our opinion, cannot be overlapping of criminal proceedings of the chargesheet. There being no conflict of interest, no overlapping and the scope of the investigation/inquiry having been well demarcated, we are satisfied that the petition does not have sufficient foundation. Let both processes continue strictly in accordance with the law, the Court noted.
The apex court thus made it clear that the criminal prosecution based on the SIT's chargesheet and the State's administrative review can proceed simultaneously, as their scope and purpose are distinct.
The issue concerns the alleged adulteration of ghee used in preparing prashadam laddus at Tirumala, where allegations were made that the sanctity of the prashadam had been compromised during previous YSRCP governmnent.
The Court noted that an FIR was registered on September 25, 2024, and was later handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) as per its earlier directions. The SIT has since completed its probe and filed both a chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet, the Court noted.
Additionally, the Court noted that the Andhra Pradesh government has also initiated an administrative exercise to identify any lapses, fix responsibility and determine consequences separate from the completed criminal investigation.
However, allowing the one-member panel to continue its inquiry, the Court dismissed Swamy's petition. (ANI)