New Delhi, 23 February (HS): The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea filed by Subramanian Swamy challenging the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to appoint a one-member committee to review the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report in connection with the Tirumala laddu controversy.
The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymala Bagchi. The bench observed that an administrative enquiry cannot be termed as overlapping with criminal proceedings that have resulted in a chargesheet and supplementary chargesheet.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the SIT had completed its investigation and filed its final report. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government, submitted that the petitioner had approached the court with mala fide intent and was attempting to obstruct departmental action.
The bench said there was no conflict of interest or overlap between the criminal investigation and the administrative enquiry, noting that their respective scopes were clearly demarcated. “Let both processes continue strictly in accordance with the law,” the court said.
The petitioner contended that the state government’s move undermined the authority of the SIT, which had earlier been constituted by the apex court to probe alleged irregularities in the distribution of laddus by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). It was also argued that the Chief Minister had previously been cautioned by the court regarding statements made while the matter was under investigation.
Responding to the submissions, Mehta said that as per the CBI manual, administrative lapses identified during an investigation that are not directly connected with criminal liability must be communicated to the state government. He stated that the SIT had flagged certain administrative issues, which the state-appointed committee was examining. The court noted that since the SIT probe had concluded, the administrative inquiry would not interfere with the criminal proceedings.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
