The Supreme Court on Monday criticized Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for making public allegations that animal fat-laced ghee was used in preparing the famous laddus at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, despite a lack of conclusive evidence.

A bench consisting of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan questioned the timing of Naidu’s comments, stating, “Why go to the press when you yourself ordered an investigation?” The court emphasized the need to separate politics from religion, noting that such claims could hurt the sentiments of devotees.

Chief Minister Naidu had publicly addressed the issue on September 18, though an official case was not filed until September 25, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was only formed on September 26. The court expressed concern that a constitutional office holder had made a public statement before the investigation had progressed.

The bench pointedly asked Naidu's legal representative, Mukul Rohatgi, "What was the necessity to go to the press? Shouldn’t religious matters be kept out of politics?"

Rohatgi argued that the petitions were politically motivated attacks by the previous government. Meanwhile, Siddharth Luthra, representing the Tirupati Temple, told the court that investigations were ongoing. However, the court found no evidence of adulterated ghee being used and asked whether samples had been sent to a lab for testing after complaints were made about the taste of the laddus.

Justice Viswanathan stressed the importance of a second opinion in such cases, questioning why further verification had not been sought before publicizing the allegations.

The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, was asked to seek instructions from the central government on whether a central agency investigation might be necessary. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on Thursday.

The case stems from allegations made by Naidu earlier in September, accusing the previous government led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of allowing the use of adulterated ghee in Tirupati laddus, which sparked a political row. The YSR Congress Party denied the accusations, calling them a “heinous” attempt to gain political advantage.

The petitions before the court were filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy, and historian Vikram Sampath along with spiritual speaker Dushyanth Sridhar.