NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had questioned the actions of the
CBI Director in appointing an officer outside the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of adulterated ghee in the preparation of the famed Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam laddu prasadam.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria, observed orally that there was no impropriety in delegating investigative duties to another officer, as the entire probe remained under the oversight of the CBI Director. “If SIT wants to appoint a particular officer, what is wrong with that?” asked the Chief Justice.
The top court’s order followed an appeal filed by the CBI Director challenging the High Court’s decision. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had held that one of the SIT members, J Venkat Rao, was not specifically named as an officer representing the state in the SIT, which had been constituted following the Supreme Court’s 2024 directions. The High Court ruled that Rao could not carry out the investigation or issue notices.
The court order stemmed from a plea by Kuduru Chinnappanna, who alleged that Rao had repeatedly issued notices compelling him to appear and record statements that were “scripted and false” before the SIT. Chinnappanna claimed he was intimidated and coerced, and that the proceedings were video recorded.
During the SC hearing, counsel for the petitioners argued that the original Supreme Court order mandated the SIT to consist of two CBI officers, two state police officers, and one senior FSSAI officer, and no others. The bench clarified that only one additional officer had been appointed, and he remained under the SIT’s director control.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, argued that the High Court’s observations were undermining the ongoing investigation and cast unjustified aspersions on the SIT’s functioning. He emphasized that the officer in question was merely a record keeper and that the CBI Director had allowed him to continue in a limited capacity.
In 2024, the court had formed the SIT to investigate claims that animal fat was being used in laddus offered as prasadam at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh one of India’s most revered pilgrimage sites.
