Tirupati laddu row: Letter petition seeks urgent Supreme Court intervention

New Delhi: A letter petition has been addressed to the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, seeking the urgent intervention of the Supreme Court into the alleged presence of animal fat in ghee used in making Tirumala laddus.

The plea comes in light of recent revelations about the use of animal fat in the preparation of ‘Prasadam’ offered to the deity at the Tirumala Tirupati Temple under the tenure of the previous management of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Trust.

“Recent investigations have revealed a disturbing truth that non-vegetarian products, specifically bird meat (kolis), were used in the preparation of ‘Prasadam’ during the tenure of the previous TTD Trust management,” said the plea filed through advocate Satyam Singh, adding that this act not only violates the fundamental tenets of Hindu religious customs and strikes at the very core of our religious practices and beliefs.

Further, it said that the use of non-vegetarian products in ‘Prasadam’ preparation strikes at the heart of this constitutional protection, when Article 25(1) of the Constitution states that all persons are “equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.”

“The preparation and distribution of ‘Prasadam’ is an integral part of Hindu religious practice, deeply rooted in tradition and spiritual significance. By contaminating this sacred offering with non-vegetarian elements, the temple management has effectively denied devotees their right to practice their religion as prescribed by their faith,” stated the plea.

It cited several Supreme Court judgments, which emphasised the importance of protecting essential religious practices and held that practices that are fundamental to the religion and integral to its basic tenets are protected under the Constitution.

“This egregious violation at the Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple is not merely an isolated incident but a symptom of a larger, systemic issue plaguing the management of our sacred institutions,” the plea added.

It said that the violation in question impinged upon the collective right of Hindus as a religious denomination to manage their religious affairs, a right protected under Article 26(b) of the Constitution.

The plea underscored the need for temples to be managed by those who understand and respect the religious customs and sentiments of the devotees in light of the fact that “this violation occurred under the watch of government-appointed officials”.