'Minor problem' for Jr NTR’s marriage

It is not even a few hours since young hero Jr NTR confirmed his marriage with Lakshmi Pranathi, daughter of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu’s niece Narne Mallika; all his jubilation has evaporated. A case was filed in Machilipatnam Legal Services Authority against Jr NTR, alleging that the girl he is going to marry in May was a minor. According to the petition filed by an advocate Shanti Prasad, Lakshmi Pranathi has not crossed minority and as such, is not eligible for marriage. She is still 17 years old and studying her final year Intermediate. “It amounts to marrying a minor,” Prasad said in the petition. The authority issued notices to Jr NTR, Chandrababu Naidu and also Narne Srinivas, the girl’s father. The notices sent the Naidu family in a tizzy. Within an hour, Chandrababu Naidu called up TDP Krishna district legal cell convenor L Balaji and informed him that Pranathi would be completing 18 years by March 18 and therefore, she would not be a minor at the time of marriage. He asked Balaji to convince Shanti Prasad to withdraw the petition.