Tirumala temple mulls legal action against Nayanthara, Vignesh for photoshoot

Tirupati: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the country's richest temple, is mulling legal action against newly-wed cine couple Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan for doing a photoshoot and roaming with footwear on Mada Streets during their visit to Tirumala temple on Friday.

The couple, who took part in Kalyanotsavam, stirred a controversy by doing a photoshoot in violation of rules. The actress was also found walking along the Mada Streets with her footwear on.

Video footage of her walking in the surrounding area of the main temple with her footwear on and posing for photographs soon went viral on social media.

As the action of the couple drew flak from various quarters, TTD vigilance officer Bali Reddy told the media that Nayanthara wearing footwear while walking along the Mada Streets was unfortunate.

He pointed out that Mada Streets hold high religious significance and as per TTD rules, walking with footwear on in the area is strictly prohibited. He said this happened due to the failure of TTD employees who were on duty.

The vigilance officer said the couple was also found doing a photoshoot which was in violation of TTD rules.

"We will take action against those employees who were on duty at that time as they failed to stop the violations," he said.

As per TTD rules, private cameras are not allowed in the vicinity of the temple and the couple violated the rules by bringing their cameramen along and doing a photoshoot.

He said the TTD board would consult legal experts to proceed legally against Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan. He hinted that legal notices may be served to the couple.

Meanwhile, Vignesh Shivan has issued a statement apologising for their mistake. He said they were in a hurry to complete the photoshoot and did not realise that they had their footwear on.

He said they wanted to marry at Tirumala but since this was not possible due to some reasons, they came to the temple immediately after the wedding and to get a feeling that their wedding took place at Tirumala they did the photoshoot.