NEW DELHI: Former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairperson and YSRC Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy, and senior BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy on Monday moved the Supreme Court, seeking a court-monitored investigation into the allegations of substandard ingredients being used to prepare Laddus at the Srivari temple in Tirumala.
In his PIL, Subba Reddy requested the formation of an independent committee, led by a retired Supreme Court judge or experts, to investigate the issue. The petition also called for an interim relief in the form of a detailed forensic report on the source and quality of the ghee and a temporary gag order on publicising the issue to protect devotees’ sentiments.
Similarly, Dr Swamy said in his petition that disclosures regarding the test results should not have been leaked to the media, but should have been handled first by the temple trust’s officers on the administrative side.
“There ought to have been checks and balances internally to supervise and verify and check the quality or the lack of it, of the suppliers supplying various ingredients to the temple which go into the making of the Prasadams,” his plea read. Further, he sought directions to be issued to the State of Andhra Pradesh to file a detailed report on the source and sampling of the ghee used for making the Laddus.
In another development in the issue, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) appealed to the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the Tirumala Laddu adulteration row and launch a probe to identify the culprits.
Deputy CM backs Jagan
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Monday said there is no need for former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to defend himself over the controversy and allow the system (law) to take its own course in punishing the culprits.