New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday reprimanded Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for prematurely going public with claims that the laddus at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati were prepared using substandard ghee containing animal fat during the previous regime of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party.

A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan questioned the basis of the CM's statements, noting that there was no conclusive proof to support such allegations. Justice Gavai remarked, "At least the Gods should be kept away from politics," emphasizing the sensitive nature of the issue involving religious sentiments.

The court pointed out that Naidu’s statements were made even before an FIR was filed and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe the matter. "We are prima facie of the view that when an investigation is underway, it is not appropriate for a high constitutional functionary to make public statements that could affect the sentiments of millions of devotees," the bench observed.

The controversy began when Naidu claimed that the ghee used to prepare the laddus at the temple was contaminated with animal and vegetable fat, based on lab reports. However, the court noted that these lab reports indicated that the tested ghee samples were not used in the preparation of the laddus.

Justice Viswanathan questioned the necessity of making such allegations public when the SIT investigation had already been ordered, asking, "What was the need to go to the press at all?" The bench also highlighted that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer had contradicted Naidu’s claim, and there was no evidence that the contaminated ghee had been used in the laddus offered to the deity.

The court asked the Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, to inform whether the SIT formed by the Andhra Pradesh government should continue the investigation or if the probe should be transferred to a different agency. The next hearing is scheduled for October 3, and until then, the state has been asked to refrain from making any further public statements on the issue.

The matter has drawn political criticism as well, with Congress accusing the BJP of politicizing the issue of temple laddus, terming it a tactic to polarize sentiments ahead of the upcoming elections.