Tirupati laddu row: SC lawyer files complaint against Jagan Mohan Reddy, contractor and TTD officials

NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court lawyer has on Friday reportedly filed a complaint with the Home Ministry as well as with the Directors General of Police (DGP) of Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, against former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), and a contractor who is alleged to have supplied adulterated non-vegetarian ghee to the Tirupati temple.

Complainant advocate Vineet Jindal emphasised that the accused parties are responsible for undermining the religious integrity of the temple through their alleged involvement in supplying adulterated, non-vegetarian ghee for prasadam. The lawyer’s complaint also states that these acts were carried out with full knowledge of their potential to harm the religious sentiments of millions of devotees and to desecrate the sanctity of one of the most revered Hindu temples.

एडवोकेट विनीत जिंदल ने गृह मंत्रालय @HMOIndia, DGP, आंध्र प्रदेश @dgpapofficial और DGP, उत्तर प्रदेश @dgpup से 1. जगन मोहन रेड्डी, पूर्व सीएम आंध्र प्रदेश, 2. तिरुमाला तिरुपति देवस्थानम (TTD) के पदाधिकारी, 3. ठेकेदार जिसने तिरुपति मंदिर में प्रसाद के लिए मिलावटी मांसाहारी घी की… pic.twitter.com/9qGBEXwoQd

— Adv.Vineet Jindal (@vineetJindal19) September 20, 2024

The complainant demanded the registration of an FIR under various sections of the BNS and called for strict legal action, including the invocation of the National Security Act (NSA), against all those involved. The complaint highlights that a private laboratory report revealed the presence of foreign fats, including palm oil, fish oil, beef tallow and lard (pig fat) in the ghee used at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, which is under the management of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

The laddoo prasadam, which holds significant religious value, is consumed by millions of Hindu devotees, and any compromise in its purity is considered an affront to their religious beliefs. The complaint claims that under the leadership of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, and in association with certain TTD office-bearers and the contractor responsible for supplying the adulterated ghee, this sacred prasadam was compromised.

It mentions accusations made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who alleged that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government used animal fat and substandard ingredients, instead of pure ghee, to make the laddu prasadam. Further, Naidu accused former TTD Executive Officer Dharma Reddy of awarding the ghee contract to a favoured Delhi-based company, which allegedly supplied the adulterated product.

The complaint portrays this act as a deliberate and malicious attempt to malign Hindu faith and the sanctity of the Tirupati Temple. It points out that devotees consumed this prasadam in good faith, only to have their beliefs shattered upon learning of the adulteration. It also notes that the prasadam was sent to the Ayodhya Ram Temple construction ceremony, where it was distributed among devotees, thus extending the alleged desecration to another revered Hindu site.

The lawyer characterizes these actions as an “assault” on Hindu sentiments and calls for an FIR under sections 152, 192, 196, 298, and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as invoking the National Security Act (NSA). This is based on the claim that the act is a mass violation of the spiritual sanctity cherished by Hindus and could lead to public unrest, thereby posing a threat to national security.

The complaint stresses that the actions of the accused were intentional, with the dual motive of earning commissions and tarnishing the purity of Hindu rituals. As a result, the lawyer urges swift legal action to address these offenses, which are cognizable and serious in nature, given the profound impact on the religious faith and sentiments of millions of Hindus. (ANI)