A day after Tamil filmmaker Vignesh Shivan and his wife, Tamil superstar Nayanthara, took to social media to announce the birth of twin baby boys reportedely via surrogacy, the Tamil Nadu state government said that an inquiry would be conducted to establish if legally valid procedures were followed.During a media interaction today, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that his department would seek an explanation if surrogacy-related regulations were adhered to by the couple. The minister was responding to a journalist's question about whether the couple who tied the knot just four months ago could conceive through surrogacy and whether there was a time restriction."The surrogacy itself is subjected to a lot of debates. But, the law allows individuals to involve in surrogacy if they are above 21 years and below 36 years of age, with the approval of the family," the minister said.
The Directorate of Medical Services will be directed to conduct an inquiry, the minister added.According to the provisions of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 that came into effect in December 2021, a woman who is a widow or a divorcee between the age of 35 to 45 years or a couple, defined as a legally married woman and man, can avail of surrogacy if they have a medical condition necessitating this option. It also bans commercial surrogacy, which is punishable with a jail term of 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakhs. The law allows only altruistic surrogacy where no money exchanges hands and where a surrogate mother is genetically related to those seeking a child.On Sunday, Vignesh shared pictures of the couple fondly kissing the feet of the newborns, introducing them to the world as their sons. “Nayan & Me have become Amma & Appa. We are blessed with Twin Baby Boys. All Our prayers, our ancestors' blessings combined with all the good manifestations made, have come 2gethr in the form Of 2 blessed babies for us. Need all ur blessings for our Uyir & Ulagam. Life looks brighter & more beautiful (sic)," Vignesh wrote on his social media handles.