TTD to contest T.N. court order to pay Rs.45 lakh to a devotee

Aggrieved by the orders passed by a consumer court in Salem in Tamil Nadu directing it to either facilitate Vastralankara seva or pay a compensation of Rs. 45 lakh to a devotee, the TTD has decided to go for an appeal in the higher court.

A devotee Hari Bhaskar, resident of Alagapuram in Salem, booked a Vastralankara seva ticket online (which has a great demand among the pilgrim fraternity) by tendering Rs. 12,250 on June 27, 2006 and was granted a ticket to attend the seva on July 10, 2020.

However, the TTD had cancelled all arjitha sevas at the temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala from March 20, 2020 till March 2022, due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

According to highly placed sources, about 17,946 devotees had booked various arjitha seva tickets during the period. The TTD had sent a communique to the devotees requesting them to either prefer a slot in the VIP break darshan or seek refund of their ticket amount.

While about 95% of the devotees utilised the option provided by the TTD a few contested the decision in the High Court which ruled in favour of the former.

Mr. Bhaskar, who insisted for Vastralankara ticket on the ground that he had been waiting since 16 years to witness the seva, approached the consumer court which in its order on July 18 directed the TTD to either allot a Vastralankara seva ticket within a year or pay a compensation of Rs. 45 lakh for deficiency in service.