To assuage 'feelings of people', SC forms SIT to probe animal fat claim in Tirupati laddus

Says it would not permit the court to be used as a political battleground

The Supreme Court on Friday appointed a five-member independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of the use of animal fat in the preparation of the sacred Tirupati laddus, a religious offering central to the faith of millions of devotees. The move comes amidst a politically charged atmosphere and replaces a similar SIT constituted by the Andhra Pradesh government on September 26. The independent SIT, comprising two officers each from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Andhra Pradesh Police, along with a senior official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is to be supervised by the CBI director. The Apex Court stressed that this decision was made to "assuage the feelings of crores of people" and prevent the issue from being turned into a "political drama."

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan expressed concern over the political sensitivity of the issue, stating: “We don’t want this to be turned into a political drama.