Nayanthara and husband did not break surrogacy law, says TN health department

Chennai: Tamil Nadu health department has given a clean chit to actress Nayanthara and her husband Vignesh Shivan in the case related to violating surrogacy rules.

The couple got married in June 2022 after dating for over five years. Four months after the wedding, they announced becoming parents to twin boys via surrogacy. Many questioned whether the couple broke the country's surrogacy laws in doing so.

However, the Tamil Nadu government's report said the surrogate mother was of eligible age and already has a child. It also noted that the couple had legally registered their marriage in 2016 which made them eligible to opt for surrogacy. They did not break Surrogacy (Regulation Act, 2021) and followed guidelines mentioned by ICMR, said the report.

The government report further stated: "The hospital did not maintain any medical record about the patients. By the time when The Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 came into force, the surrogate was already placed in the embryo in November."

The Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) confirmed the couple followed legal procedures to become parents but the hospital has failed to maintain documents and details. The committee's report noted that the hospital will be temporarily closed.