New Delhi: A letter petition has been addressed to the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, seeking the urgent intervention of the Supr...
New Delhi: A letter petition has been addressed to the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, seeking the urgent intervention of the Supreme Court into the alleged presence of animal fat in ghee used in making Tirumala laddus.
The plea comes in light of recent revelations about
the use of animal fat in the preparation of ‘Prasadam’ offered to the deity at
the Tirumala Tirupati Temple under the tenure of the previous management of the
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Trust.
“Recent investigations have revealed a disturbing
truth that non-vegetarian products, specifically bird meat (kolis), were used
in the preparation of ‘Prasadam’ during the tenure of the previous TTD Trust
management,” said the plea filed through advocate Satyam Singh, adding that
this act not only violates the fundamental tenets of Hindu religious customs
and strikes at the very core of our religious practices and beliefs.
Further, it said that the use of non-vegetarian
products in ‘Prasadam’ preparation strikes at the heart of this constitutional
protection, when Article 25(1) of the Constitution states that all persons are
“equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess,
practice and propagate religion.”
“The preparation and distribution of ‘Prasadam’ is
an integral part of Hindu religious practice, deeply rooted in tradition and
spiritual significance. By contaminating this sacred offering with
non-vegetarian elements, the temple management has effectively denied devotees
their right to practice their religion as prescribed by their faith,” stated
the plea.
It cited several Supreme Court judgments, which
emphasized the importance of protecting essential religious practices and held
that practices that are fundamental to the religion and integral to its basic
tenets are protected under the Constitution.
“This egregious violation at the Tirumala Tirupati
Balaji Temple is not merely an isolated incident but a symptom of a larger,
systemic issue plaguing the management of our sacred institutions,” the plea
added.
It said that the violation in question impinged
upon the collective right of Hindus as a religious denomination to manage their
religious affairs, a right protected under Article 26(b) of the Constitution.
The plea underscored the need for temples to be
managed by those who understand and respect the religious customs and
sentiments of the devotees because “this violation occurred
under the watch of government-appointed officials”.
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