Tirupati laddoo row escalates to Supreme Court, petition filed to protect religious rights

Tirupati Laddoo Row: The controversy surrounding the alleged use of animal fat in the famed Tirupati laddoos has now reached the Supreme Court, with a lawyer filing a petition claiming the act violates fundamental Hindu religious customs and deeply offends the sentiments of countless devotees who regard the ‘prasad’ as sacred.

The petitioner argued that the supposed presence of animal fat in the laddoos points to larger systemic issues in the management of temple affairs, calling for the sanctity of Hindu religious practices to be upheld and protected.

The controversy was sparked when former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that animal fat had been used in the preparation of the laddoos under the previous YSR Congress government. The Andhra Pradesh government backed this claim, citing a report from a Gujarat laboratory, which detected traces of beef tallow, fish oil, and lard in the ghee used for making the laddoos distributed at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati.

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In a letter petition addressed to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, lawyer Satyam Singh has emphasized that the allegations have caused immense hurt to devotees and violated Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion and the practice of religious customs.

The petition also referenced several Supreme Court rulings that underscore the need to safeguard essential religious practices. It argued that the Tirupati case reflects broader concerns in temple administration and called for culturally sensitive management of religious institutions. The petitioner has requested the Court’s intervention to ensure the protection of Hindu religious traditions and proper oversight of sacred institutions.

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