Hyderabad Civil Court has issued summons to Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan. The petition filed by advocate Immaneni Rama Rao on October 14 accused Pawan Kalyan of frivolous allegations against the Tirumala Srivari Laddu prasadam, stating that the ghee used in the prasadam was adulterated with animal fat. The petition says these allegations were made unsubstantiated by any scientific evidence.
Pawan Kalyan’s statements have come under fire, particularly for the perception they give to Hindus being insulted. The petition that pointed out that Pawan, an incumbent Deputy Chief Minister, made these statements which have reportedly attracted displeasure from the Supreme Court also elicited responses seeking the removal of the videos containing Pawan’s statements, reportedly put up on the internet.
It demands a gag order so that he would not dare to do the same thing in the future about Tirumala prasadam. Meanwhile, it also makes a mention of the previous judgment of the Supreme Court making a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the scandal surrounding the Tirupati laddu.
Not only issuing summons to Pawan Kalyan and asking him to appear in person on 22 Nov but it also issued notices to Telangana Chief Secretary in response to the petition.
The issue thus adds another level of complexity to the continued Tirumala Srivari Laddu controversy, as this highlights that public discussion, especially on matters of religious importance, should be factual as well as sensitive.