Supreme Court Rejects Plea to Shift Tirupati Laddu Ghee Adulteration Trial Outside Andhra Pradesh

The Supreme Court on Thursday, November 5, rejected a petition seeking to transfer the trial in the controversial Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration case from Andhra Pradesh to another state, observing that shifting the proceedings could create practical difficulties as several witnesses and important pieces of evidence were located within the state. The petition was filed by Maharashtra-based dairy businessman Machindra Shantaram Lanke, one of the accused in the alleged adulterated ghee supply case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, declined to entertain the plea, stating that there were insufficient grounds to move the trial to a neighbouring state. Lanke is the managing director of Malganga Milk and Agro Products Private Limited. His legal team had argued that the politically sensitive nature of the controversy had created an unfavourable atmosphere for conducting a fair trial in Andhra Pradesh.

Appearing for Lanke, senior advocate Siddharth Dave submitted that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan had repeatedly made public statements about the case, potentially influencing the atmosphere surrounding the proceedings. He argued that such comments could prejudice his client’s right to a fair trial, even if the presiding judge remained unaffected by political developments.

Dave also referred to a forensic report which, according to the defence, had ruled out the presence of animal fat in the ghee. He maintained that political leaders continued making statements about the allegations despite the findings cited by the defence. Seeking a transfer to a neighbouring state, the lawyer said most of the accused were from North India and faced language-related difficulties in Andhra Pradesh. He further argued that his client was being caught in the middle of a political confrontation between rival parties.

Responding to the concerns, Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked that the court had already restrained political leaders through its earlier directions. He indicated that the petitioner could approach the court again if any further developments threatened the fairness of the proceedings. The bench ultimately refused to transfer the trial, noting that the investigation had been conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Supreme Court itself. It also highlighted that several witnesses and relevant evidence were located in Andhra Pradesh, making a transfer inconvenient.

The controversy erupted in 2024 after Naidu alleged that animal fat had been used in preparing the famous Tirupati temple laddus during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government. The allegations triggered a major political dispute, with the YSR Congress Party accusing the ruling Telugu Desam Party of making politically motivated claims.

On October 4, 2024, the Supreme Court constituted an independent five-member SIT comprising officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Andhra Pradesh Police and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to investigate the allegations. The latest ruling keeps the trial in Andhra Pradesh despite the accused’s concerns over the politically charged atmosphere.