YSR Congress Party MP and former chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), Y. V. Subba Reddy has moved the Supreme Court for the constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired judge of the Apex Court to look into the allegations of animal fat in the ghee to make Tirupati laddus.
Senior lawyer P. Sudhakar Reddy, who filed the petition on behalf of Subba Reddy, said that there is need to find the truth behind the allegations of adulteration. He stated that there is no hope of truth coming out from the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) announced by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
He said since Naidu had made the allegation that the ghee contained animal fat, the agency working under him is likely to say the same. The petitioner sought a probe by food technology experts under the supervision of a retired judge of the Supreme Court.
He said this is the issue related to the sentiments of millions of devotees of Tirumala temple.
Subba Reddy’s counsel said out of 10 tanks of ghee supplied by AR Foods to TTD, four tanks had 'vanaspati' and this was revealed by TTD Executive Officer. He pointed out that every tank comes to TTD with a certificate and TTD conducts three kinds of tests to check the quality of the product.
Only after the ghee passes these quality tests, it is used for making laddus. If the ghee tank fails the test, it is sent back. He disputed TTD Executive Officer Syamala Rao's claim that the TTD has no lab to find adulteration.
He claimed that the person who headed the lab between 2014 and 2019 had gone on record that the TTD lab has the capacity to conduct adulteration tests.
On May 15 when the first tank came, there was no YSRCP government as election code of conduct was in force. Four tanks of adulterated ghee were sent back. Where is the possibility of using adulterated ghee in making laddus, asked Sudhakar Reddy.
Subba Reddy was chairman of TTD between 2019 and August 2023 and during his tenure tenders were not called. During Bhumana Karunakar Reddy’s tenure too, AR Foods was not given the order, said the lawyer.
He claimed that it was only after TDP came to power that AR Foods was given order and it supplies.
The devotees were deliberately misled with false allegations, he added.
Two drowned in Pune bridge collapse, PM Modi speaks to CM Fadnavis
At least two people were killed, 32 others injured, while a total of 41 people were rescued after they fell into an overflowing river when an old bridge they were crossing collapsed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday.
Haifa port in Israel operating normally despite Iran attack
There has been no damage to Israel’s Haifa port in the Iranian ballistic missile attack on an oil refinery nearby and cargo operations are progressing unhindered, according to media reports.
No recommendation, no discrimination: HM Amit Shah hails UP’s inclusive recruitment drive
In a historic ceremony, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath distributed appointment letters to 60,244 newly selected police personnel at the Defence Expo Ground in Sector 18, Vrindavan. Out of these 60,000 recruits, more than 12,000 comprised women.
Round-the-clock DNA profiling underway: FSL Gandhinagar Director explains complex process
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has been operating around the clock to identify victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash through DNA profiling and matching.
Civil Aviation Ministry issues strict instructions to DGCA to enforce chopper safety
In the wake of a tragic helicopter crash in the Gaurikund area of Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Sunday issued strict instructions to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce all safety protocols related to chopper operations in hilly and sensitive areas like the Kedarnath valley.
‘Harming Indians will invite punishment’, HM Shah on Op Sindoor
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that through the anti-terror Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a strong message across the world that the bloodshed of Indians will invite punishment.
Dassault CEO trashes Pakistan's claims on downing Rafale jets
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier has dismissed as "factually incorrect" Pakistan’s claims about having shot down three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor.
Tripura BJP stages protest over vandalism at Tagore's ancestral home in B'desh
Ruling BJP in Tripura on Saturday staged state-wide protests along the Bangladesh border, protesting the recent attack and vandalism of the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the neighbouring country.