The Tamil Nadu Health Department has cleared star couple Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan over them conceiving through surrogacy, by concluding that they followed all rules and regulations laid down by various government agencies, putting an end to the controversy surrounding the birth of their twins.
The three-member inquiry committee, however, issued a notice to the private hospital that treated the surrogate mother with the question why its licence should not be cancelled for “not maintaining documents” relating to the couple and the surrogate mother in a “proper manner”.
“The inquiry committee has found that the age of the intending couple (Nayanthara and Shivan) and the surrogate mother fulfil the criteria laid down by the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and rules relating to surrogacy,” the committee headed by a joint director of Directorate of Medical Services (DMS) said in its report.
The committee also said the couple had registered their marriage on March 11, 2016, and they received a letter from their family physician regarding surrogacy in 2020.
“Oocytes were received in August 2020 and Embryos which were created remained stored in the hospital. The agreement for surrogacy was signed in November 2021 and they were injected into the surrogate mother in March 2022,” the committee said. However, it stated that it could not question the family physician, as the person has left the country.
The inquiry also found that the surrogate mother received treatment during pregnancy at the hospital in Chennai and that the twins were handed over to the couple on October 9, 2022. The couple had submitted relevant documents to the committee in mid-October and filed for surrogacy in November 2021.
The panel was constituted to inquire whether Nayanthara and Sivan followed the rules while filing for surrogacy, as commercial surrogacy is not allowed in India following passage of a Bill by Parliament in December 2021. After the new bill came into existence, only ‘altruistic surrogacy’ is allowed in India, which means the carrying mother should not receive any monetary assistance except the medical expenses.
“The hospital is supposed to maintain records about patients and surrogate mothers. But they have not been maintained properly. In this regard, a notice has been sent to the hospital seeking its response on why the license should not be cancelled,” the panel said.
Public opinion was divided after Shivan took to social media platforms on October 9 to announce the arrival of their children. The internet was abuzz with Shivan’s post, as many questioned whether the couple followed the rules as commercial surrogacy has been banned in India since December 2021.
Nayanthara and Shivan, who dated each other for over five years, solemnised their marriage at a private ceremony on June 9 in Mamallapuram with the Bay of Bengal forming the backdrop.