In a strong rebuttal to social media claims surrounding the booking of SRIVANI Trust darshan tickets, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Wednesday urged devotees not to fall prey to misinformation and unscrupulous middlemen

Clarifying about the functioning of the SRIVANI ticket booking mechanism, the TTD stated that the online system, introduced in May 2019, has undergone major technological upgrades to ensure greater transparency, security and convenience for devotees seeking darshan at the Tirumala temple.

The SRIVANI booking portal is fully secure and cannot be hacked or illegally infiltrated under any circumstances, the TTD said. However, it acknowledged that certain brokers and organised intermediaries were attempting to misuse advanced technologies, including AI-driven auto-filling and rapid auto-copying tools, to gain an unfair advantage during the booking process.

The TTD said its technical teams were maintaining round-the-clock surveillance to detect suspicious activity, identify fraudulent IDs and block illegal booking methods in real time. The software architecture is being continuously upgraded to strengthen cyber security safeguards and prevent misuse of the system.

The TTD warned devotees against fake ticket rackets and unauthorised agents allegedly misleading pilgrims by selling fraudulent or invalid darshan tickets at exorbitant prices, saying that stringent action was being initiated against such middlemen involved in deceiving devotees.

Explaining the booking protocol, the TTD said the advance reservation system operates strictly on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis and even in instances where a booking attempt fails midway or a payment gateway transaction does not go through, the tickets automatically return to the pool and become available again for other devotees.

A devotee lodged a complaint with the One Town Police on May 7, alleging that a Chennai-based private travel operator had collected an additional ₹3,000 for each ticket provided to them. 

The police swiftly launched an investigation and dispatched special teams to trace and apprehend those involved in the illegal ticketing racket.