# Supreme Court refuses to move Tirupati laddu trial out of Andhra 2026-11-05T07:37:29+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 5 independent outlets (6 source reports) The Supreme Court on Thursday, 5 November 2026, declined to transfer the trial in the alleged Tirupati laddu adulteration case out of Andhra Pradesh. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi rejected a petition from Machindra Shantaram Lanke and his dairy company M/s Malganga Milk and Agro Products. Senior advocate Siddharth Dave argued that political statements by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan made a fair trial impossible within the state. CJI Kant observed that the court had already ‘silenced them all with our order’ and said the petitioners could approach again if issues arise. The controversy began in September 2024 when Naidu alleged animal fat was used in ghee for the laddu prasadam during the previous YSRCP government. A CBI-led SIT filed its charge sheet on 23 January 2026 in the Anti-Corruption Bureau court in Nellore. The Hindu reports that the CBI and ED investigations revealed a Rs 250 crore scam involving 68 lakh kg of fake ghee supplied to TTD between 2019 and 2024. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All five outlets report the same court outcome: the Supreme Court refused to transfer the Tirupati laddu trial out of Andhra Pradesh. The copy is nearly identical across Deccan Chronicle, Orissa Post, Sambad English and Hans India, wire-style coverage that quotes the petitioners’ argument and the CJI’s response. The Hindu adds two new facts the others omit: it names the scam size (Rs 250 crore) and the volume of ghee supplied (68 lakh kg between 2019 and 2024), giving the story a financial dimension the rest leave out. It also includes Justice Bagchi’s remark that the CBI-led probe was insulated from state-level commentary, which none of the other outlets quote. The uniform framing is neutral throughout: no outlet takes a side on the political allegations or the court’s reasoning. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral - deccanchronicle.com (neutral report) Straight news agency-style report, no slant - Syndicated copy - orissapost.com Straight news agency-style report, no slant - sambadenglish.com Straight news agency-style report, no slant - thehansindia.com Straight news agency-style report, no slant - thehindu.com (neutral report) Adds scam size and ₹250 crore figure, neutral tone This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Update, 5 November 2026: this story now draws on 5 sources. Last updated 2026-11-05T08:28:10+00:00. Tags: CBI, Chandrababu Naidu, Supreme Court of India, Tirupati, TTD Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-refuses-to-shift-tirupati-laddu-trial-out-of-andhra/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-refuses-to-shift-tirupati-laddu-trial-out-of-andhra/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/