Supreme Court rejects bid to move Tirupati laddu trial

The Supreme Court on November 5 dismissed Machindra Shantaram Lanke’s petition to move the Tirupati laddu adulteration trial out of Andhra Pradesh, finding no case for transferring the proceedings. The bench cited the presence of witnesses in the state and said the petitioners could return to the court if a relevant issue arose. Lanke, a managing director of Malganga Milk and Agro Products and one of the accused in the case, had sought a transfer to a neighbouring state. His lawyer, senior advocate Siddharth Dave, argued that statements by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan had created a hostile atmosphere and raised concerns about a fair prosecution. Those concerns were arguments made on the petitioner’s behalf, not findings by the court. Dave also referred to a forensic report that, he said, found no animal fat in the ghee, and argued that political statements continued despite that finding. He said most accused were from North India and faced a language barrier. The bench declined to shift the trial, noting that witnesses were in Andhra Pradesh and that the investigation had been conducted by a court-appointed Special...