A Telangana court ruled on Friday state minister Konda Surekha must remove her social media posts linking BRS working president KT Rama Rao to the divorce of actors Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya.
The order came when the civil court in Hyderabad was hearing a petition from KTR, who has filed a defamation suit against the minister for ₹100 crore.
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Surekha, who holds Telangana's for forest and environment portfolio, sparked a controversy earlier this month when she alleged on social media that KT Rama Rao, commonly known as KTR, was the reason behind Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu's divorce in 2021.
KTR files defamation suit
KTR sought criminal action against Surekha, citing that the claims were baseless and had no merit. The BRS leader issued a legal notice to Konda Surekha, demanding a public apology for her defamatory statements.
Despite KTR's notice, Konda Surekha did not retract her comments, which led to legal escalation.
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{{/usCountry}}Despite KTR's notice, Konda Surekha did not retract her comments, which led to legal escalation.
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{{/usCountry}}KTR, in his plea, emphasised that such actions cannot go unchecked, as they not only cause personal damage but also undermine reputation, the release said.
The BRS leader highlighted that this is not the first time Konda Surekha has indulged in such defamatory actions. He reminded the court that Surekha had previously been reprimanded by the Election Commission for similar baseless remarks.
Her repeated violations of decorum, he argued, reflect a deliberate attempt to harm his reputation through a pattern of malicious behaviour.
What are the allegations against KTR?
Surekha in her post alleged that KTR, a former minister, tapped the phones of actresses and blackmailed them. In this connection, she said he was behind the divorce of the actors.
"It is KT Rama Rao because of whom (actress) Samantha's divorce happened... He was a minister at that time and used to tap the phones of the actresses and then find their weaknesses to blackmail them... He used to make them drug addicts and then do this... Everyone knows this, Samantha, Naga Chaitanya, his family -- everybody is aware that such a thing happened," the leader said in a post.
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Both Samantha and Naga Chaitanya called the leader's claims "absolutely ridiculous" and asked the minister to be "responsible and respectful of individuals' privacy."
Surekha apologises for her remarks?
Telangana minister Surekha apologised for her remarks on Naga Chaitanya-Samantha divorce after facing massive backlash on the controversy. She called it an “unexpected slip of the tongue.”