"What's Wrong With That?" Supreme Court Relief For CBI In Tirupati Laddoo Row

In a relief for the CBI in the Tirumala Tirupati laddoo row, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order that held that the director of the country's premier investigative agency acted contrary to the top court's directions by allowing an officer not formally part of the special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the case.

"If the SIT wants to appoint a special officer, what's wrong with that?" a bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said.

The high court had said that the CBI director acted contrary to the Supreme Court's directions of 2024 by allowing J Venkat Rao to investigate the use of "adulterated ghee" in the preparation of prasadam (religious offerings) at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Andhra Pradesh.

The high court said it ordered the formation of an independent five-member SIT comprising two CBI officers, to be nominated by the director, two officers of Andhra Pradesh Police, to be nominated by the state, and one senior official of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

It said that Venkat Rao was not specifically named as one of the state's representatives in the SIT and held that he could not assume investigative powers in the matter.

The high court order came on a plea filed by Kaduru Chinnappanna, who alleged harassment at the hands of Mr Rao.

Mr Chinnappanna alleged that he was repeatedly summoned by Mr Rao and was compelled to appear before the SIT office at Tirupati, and pressured into giving "scripted false statements".

Appearing for the CBI director, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the high court was wrong in concluding that an officer involved in the investigation had not been officially designated as a member of the SIT formed under the Supreme Court's 2024 directives.

In September last year, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime. The opposition party, however, had vehemently denied the allegations.

On orders from the Supreme Court, the CBI formed a five-member SIT in November last year to investigate the case.