Nagarjuna v/s Konda Surekha: Hearing postponed in defamation case
The defamation case filed by Tollywood actor Akkineni Nagarjuna against Telangana Minister Konda Surekha has been deferred, Times Now reported. The hearing was supposed to take place on Monday but has now been rescheduled to Tuesday (October 8). Nagarjuna is likely to appear in court to record his statement. The legal action was taken after Surekha made derogatory remarks about Nagarjuna's family, triggering outrage across the Telugu film industry and beyond.
Surekha's controversial remarks led to the defamation case
Surekha, in a bid to target her political opponent KT Rama Rao (KTR), falsely linked him to the divorce of Nagarjuna's son, Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, thus tarnishing the reputation of the Akkineni family. She claimed that KTR demanded that Prabhu be sent to him in exchange for sparing Nagarjuna's N-Convention Centre from demolition. When Prabhu refused, it led to their divorce. These allegations have since been retracted by Surekha but have already led to legal action.
'This is no longer personal': Nagarjuna on defamation case
In an interview with the above-mentioned portal, Nagarjuna said, "The slander has gone far beyond just me and my family." He stressed that celebrities shouldn't be used for political leverage without any consequences. Though Surekha apologized to Prabhu, Nagarjuna found it lacking as it didn't address the hurt caused to him and his family. He stood firm on his decision to take legal action, saying, "No, not at all. This is no longer personal."
Nagarjuna seeks ₹100cr in additional defamation lawsuit
Apart from the criminal defamation case, Nagarjuna is also pursuing another ₹100cr defamation lawsuit against Surekha. He vented his frustration with the situation to the media portal, saying, "We filed a criminal defamation case yesterday. We are in the process of filing another ₹100-crore defamation lawsuit against her." "Her outrageous comments cannot be allowed to slide under the crack," he added.
