As the row over the allegations in connection with the laddu distributed at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati continues to linger, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the case.

The allegations include the adulteration of ghee used in the cooking of Laddu prasadam distributed at the temple with foreign fat that allegedly comprised soybean, olive, sunflower, rapeseed, and cotton seed, to fish oil, palm oil, and beef tallow and lard.

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The charges were first raised by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, accusing his predecessor and incumbent opposition leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of compromising the quality of the food served.

The TDP also accused the YSRCP of giving the grain supply contract to AR Dairy, the Nadu-based supplier.

However, directing the investigation into the allegations, the top court said it “will not allow the court to be used as a political battleground,” adding that the order for an independent probe was to assuage the “feeling of the crores of people.”

The investigation team will comprise two officers from the CBI and Andhra Pradesh state police and a senior Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officer, as per the direction by the court.

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Notably, the opposition has denied the allegations directed at YSRCP as false, accusing the chief minister of using even God for political gain. The quality test of the samples by the Center for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food recently confirmed the presence of foreign fat, though the extent of the adulteration was not known.

As the row continues to flame, with political parties charging it up, the Supreme Court’s warning not to turn the controversy into a political drama is believed to be realistic and aimed at redressing the feelings of the devotees.