Actor Nagarjuna Appears In Court For Defamation Case Against Telangana Minister Konda Surekha

Nagarjuna was accompanied by his wife Amala and son Naga Chaitanya to the court in Nampally.

Actor Nagarjuna appeared before a local court in Hyderabad on Tuesday to record his statement in a criminal defamation case he filed against Telangana Minister Konda Surekha. The defamation complaint filed for Rs 100 crore is related to Surekha's remarks about the divorce of Nagarjuna's son, Naga Chaitanya, and actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Surekha had claimed that BRS leader KT Rama Rao was involved in the couple's split in 2021.

Nagarjuna was accompanied by his wife Amala and son Naga Chaitanya to the court in Nampally. The complaint was filed under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), accusing Surekha of making false and damaging statements about the family.

Surekha, who is the Telangana Minister of Forests, made the comments last week, which led to a significant backlash from both political circles and the Telugu film industry. Surekha was speaking in Gajwel, the constituency of the former Telangana Chief Minister.

Though Surekha later withdrew her statements, claiming she became emotional after comments made by KT Rama Rao about her, the controversy had already escalated.

In her apology, Surekha said, "I had to criticise him (Rama Rao). I do not have any personal animosity towards anyone. Taking the name of a family was inadvertent." 

Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who announced their divorce in 2021, then publicly stated that their separation was a mutual and personal decision, condemning any external speculation. In response to Surekha’s allegations, several prominent personalities from the Telugu film industry expressed their disapproval, labeling the minister's remarks as derogatory.