- A Hyderabad court ordered police to register a criminal case against Telangana minister Konda Surekha
- The case was filed by BRS working president K T Rama Rao over alleged defamatory remarks
- The court found sufficient prima facie evidence under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
A Hyderabad court has ordered the police to register a criminal case against Telangana minister Konda Surekha following a defamation complaint filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former minister K T Rama Rao.
The Nampally Court, after reviewing preliminary evidence, determined there was sufficient prima facie material to proceed with the case under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The court has instructed that a criminal case be registered and a notice be served to Minister Surekha by August 21.
The defamation case stems from controversial remarks made by Konda Surekha in October last year. In her comments, she allegedly accused KTR of being responsible for the divorce of actors Samantha and Naga Chaitanya and also made other unsubstantiated allegations. KTR's counsel argued that these statements were baseless and were made to maliciously harm his reputation.
The court rejected objections raised by Konda Surekha's legal team regarding the complaint's jurisdiction and admissibility. It cited a previous High Court directive that affirmed the court's authority to hear the case. The court also accepted a pen drive containing video evidence of the minister's remarks.
This legal action follows previous instances where KTR served a legal notice to Surekha demanding a public apology for her remarks. This development marks a significant turn in the ongoing political feud, with the court's decision setting the stage for a formal criminal proceeding against the minister.
