Tirupati Laddoo row: Supreme Court sets up 5-member SIT, brings in CBI sleuths

New Delhi: Calling it a matter of faith for millions of devotees, the Supreme Court on Friday set up an independent five-member SIT to probe the alleged use of adulterated ghee for preparing Tirupati temple Laddoos, a lawyer said.

The Special Investigation Team, which will replace an earlier probe team set up by the Andhra Pradesh government, constitutes two Central Bureau of Investigation officials, two state police officials and one representative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The Apex Court was hearing a batch of petitions which followed a controversy linked to a lab report that indicated that samples of ghee supplied Ladoos were found to contain foreign fats, including possible beef fat and fish oil.