New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an Andhra Pradesh High Court order that faulted the CBI Director for permitting an officer, not part of a court-mandated Special Investigation Team (SIT), to investigate the adulteration of ghee used in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s (TTD) famed ‘laddu prasadam.’

The High Court had held that the CBI director acted contrary to apex court directions by allowing officer J Venkat Rao to participate in the probe, though he was not a named SIT member. The SIT, as per the 2024 Supreme Court directive, was to comprise two CBI officers nominated by the Director, two Andhra Pradesh police officers, and one senior Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) official.

Hearing the CBI director’s plea, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran questioned the High Court’s reasoning, observing there was “nothing wrong” if an officer was assisting in the investigation while the Director himself monitored the probe. “If SIT wants to appoint a particular officer, what is wrong with that?” the CJI said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, said Rao had only a limited role as a “record keeper” and was not functioning as an independent investigating officer. However, counsel for the respondent, Kaduru Chinnappanna, alleged Rao coerced him into making “scripted false statements” under duress, which were videographed. He argued that the SIT’s composition was sacrosanct and could not be altered. The bench clarified that if Chinnappanna faced harassment, he should lodge a formal complaint. It also sought his reply to the CBI director’s plea while staying the High Court’s order.

The case has sparked debate on the scope of SIT’s independence and the permissible role of assisting officers in sensitive religious-linked investigations.(PTI)