Show-cause notice to servitor after photos of actor Shilpa Shetty visiting Lingaraj Temple go viral

Bhubaneswar: The Lingaraj Temple administration in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar has issued a show-cause notice to a servitor and an official, after photos and videos of actor Shilpa Shetty visiting the shrine, where photography is prohibited, went viral.

The move came following an outrage among devotees over how pictures and videos were allowed to be captured inside the temple premises, officials said.

Shetty was in the state capital on Monday to attend an event, and had visited the temple in the evening, sources said.

“It has come to our notice that Shilpa Shetty’s pictures have gone viral. We have served show-cause notice to a servitor and a supervisor in connection with the matter… They need to give an explanation within seven days,” Bhubaneswar Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Rudra Narayan Mohanty, who is also in charge of the temple administration, said.

Mohanty said the duo was seen in pictures along with the actor.

Local MLA Babu Singh, too, raised concern over how cameras or mobile phones were allowed inside the temple premises despite a ban.

“Even when the prime minister or president visits the temple, no camera is allowed inside. The celebrities who visit the shrine are also instructed to not carry mobile phones inside the premises. But still, these mistakes are happening. Strict action needs to be taken against those found involved in such incidents,” Singh said.