The Supreme Court will hear the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director’s petition on September 26 in connection with the Tirupati prasadam controversy. The CBI challenged an Andhra Pradesh High Court order which held that the agency violated earlier directions of the apex court during its probe into the alleged use of adulterated ghee in prasadam preparation at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.
A bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran agreed to list the matter for September 26 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI Director, requested an early hearing. Initially scheduled for September 29, Mehta assured the court that the matter would take less than five minutes.
The dispute traces back to the High Court’s observation that the CBI Director had exceeded his authority by assigning probe powers to officer J. Venkata Rao, who was not a formal member of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). In 2024, the Supreme Court had ordered the investigation to be conducted by an independent SIT comprising two CBI officials (nominated by the CBI Director), two Andhra Pradesh Police officials (nominated by the state), and a senior Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officer. The High Court found that Rao had not been designated as part of the SIT and therefore could not lead the probe.
The controversy further deepened when Kaduru Chinnapanna alleged harassment by Rao. In a petition before the High Court, he claimed Rao repeatedly summoned him to the SIT office in Tirupati, coerced him into appearing, and pressured him to provide false written statements. Chinnapanna alleged that these proceedings were video recorded, and his statements were taken under duress.
