Supreme Court refuses to hear petition seeking exclusive use of indigenous cow milk at Tirupati temple.
Justice Sundaresh says, “True love for God lies in serving fellow creatures.”
New Delhi: On Monday, the Supreme Court of India refused to hear a petition that had asked for directions to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)—the trust that manages the famous Tirupati Venkateswara Balaji Temple—to use only the milk of indigenous Indian cows during the religious offerings and rituals of the temple, including for bhog prasad (holy food offering).
The bench, consisting of Justice M.M. Sundaresh and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh, did not find the matter fit for hearing under their jurisdiction and instead allowed the petitioner to take back the plea and go to the appropriate High Court.
The court said,
“A cow is a cow. True love for God lies in serving fellow creatures and not in getting into these issues. There are much more important issues present in society.”
The judges also made it clear that their remarks were being made “with full respect.”
The petitioner’s lawyer argued that according to the Agamshastras—ancient Hindu scriptures followed in many temple rituals—there is a clear difference between indigenous and foreign breeds of cows.
He stated that using the milk from Indian cow breeds is a long-standing tradition and that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams itself had once issued an internal proposal and order to use only indigenous cow milk.
The lawyer explained that the petitioner was merely asking for this internal order to be properly implemented.
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In response to this, Justice Sundaresh questioned the logic of such demands. He remarked,
“Such classifications were man-made and based on language, caste, community, or state, and not something ordained by God.”
He further added,
“God is equal for all humans. He is kind and fair to other creatures as well. You cannot say God wants only milk from a local cow. God must have something else, isn’t it?”
The bench also wanted to know if there was any legal support behind the petitioner’s argument.
When the lawyer tried to bring up past Supreme Court judgments from constitutional benches and requested that at least the court ask for a response from the TTD on the issue, Justice Sundaresh replied humorously,
“Will we now say that Tirupati laddus should also be indigenous?”
In the end, the Supreme Court refused to entertain the petition. However, as the petitioner requested, the court allowed them to withdraw the petition with the freedom to go to a relevant High Court instead.
Case Title:
Yuga Thulasi Foundation v. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)
Case no. – W.P.(C) No. 664/2025
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