In a significant ruling, a Telangana court has ordered Konda Surekha, the state’s Minister for Forest and Environment, to delete all social media posts that link Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) to the 2021 divorce of actors Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya. The court’s directive follows a defamation lawsuit filed by KT Rama Rao, seeking Rs 100 crore in damages from Surekha.
Earlier this month, Surekha stirred controversy by alleging that KTR, a prominent Telangana politician, was responsible for the separation of the popular Telugu actors. She accused him of abusing his authority as a former minister by tapping the phones of actresses, attempting to blackmail them, and even introducing them to harmful substances to exploit their vulnerabilities.
“It is KT Rama Rao because of whom Samantha’s divorce happened. He was a minister at that time and used to tap the phones of actresses and then find their weaknesses to blackmail them… Everyone knows this,” she alleged in her statement.
The allegations drew strong responses from both actors, with Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya releasing statements condemning the minister’s claims as “absolutely ridiculous.” Both emphasized the importance of respecting personal privacy, with Prabhu urging public figures to avoid baseless insinuations.
Following the uproar, Chaitanya’s father, veteran actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, also filed a defamation suit against Surekha, expressing distress over the damage caused to his family’s reputation by her remarks.
Amid mounting backlash, Minister Konda Surekha issued a public apology, stating that her comment was an “off-the-cuff remark” and an “unexpected slip of the tongue.” She emphasized that she harbored no personal animosity toward anyone in the film industry and expressed regret over the controversy. “I am disheartened to see the sharp reactions to my statement. I am taking back my words regarding what I said about the film industry,” she stated.
The court’s order mandates that Surekha promptly retract her statements online, warning of further legal consequences if compliance is not met.
