Should the Tirupati Laddu Adulteration Trial move out of Andhra Pradesh because of political statements? The Supreme Court has refused an accused dairy company director’s plea to shift it to a neighbouring State, noting that the probe was carried out by a Special Investigation Team the Court itself had constituted.
New Delhi: There will be no transfer of the trial in the Tirupati temple laddu ghee adulteration case out of Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court decided on Thursday (November 5) while dismissing a plea for it [Machindra Shantaram Lanke and Anr. v. State of Andhra Pradesh].
The transfer petition was filed by Machindra Shantaram Lanke, a Maharashtra-based dairy businessman and Managing Director of Malganga Milk and Agro Products Pvt Ltd, who is named as one of the accused. A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi refused to entertain it.
What weighed with the Bench
The Bench said it was not inclined to transfer the trial. It pointed out that a Special Investigation Team constituted by the Supreme Court itself had carried out the investigation, and that most of the witnesses and evidence were located in Andhra Pradesh. The petition was dismissed on that footing.
The plea: a “politically hostile” atmosphere
Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, for the petitioner, argued that political leaders kept making statements about the case, which left no room for a free trial. He said the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister had spoken on it, and claimed that leaders were doing so even though the forensic report had ruled out the presence of animal fat in the ghee.
Dave accepted that the trial judge might not be influenced, but submitted that a fair prosecution could not be expected in such a setting:
“We are only praying that it be shifted to a neighbouring state where it is not such an emotive issue.”
Two more points were made for the petitioner: the CBI was conducting the prosecution, and most of the accused were from the north, so there was a strong language barrier. “I am being used in the fight between politicians,” he told the Bench.
Where the case stands
The allegations against the petitioner and the other accused remain to be tested at trial. The Supreme Court has expressed no view on the merits, and every accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Why the order matters
Moving a criminal trial to another State is an exceptional step, ordered only where there is a reasonable apprehension that justice will not be done. Where a Supreme Court-constituted SIT supervised the investigation and the evidence and witnesses are local, the order signals that political statements alone are not enough. The trial in one of Andhra Pradesh’s most politically charged temple cases will now go ahead in the State.
Case Title: Machindra Shantaram Lanke and Anr. v. State of Andhra Pradesh [Diary No. 50940/2026]
Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi
Date of Order: November 5, 2026
Appearances: Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave for the petitioners