Did Telangana Minister Withdraw Her Statement About Nagarjuna's Family?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Konda Surekha has retracted her controversial statement regarding Nagarjuna's family.
- Nagarjuna filed a defamation case against the minister.
- Samantha clarified that her divorce was mutual.
- The incident raises important questions about public figures' privacy.
- Legal actions highlight the complexities of public discourse.
Hyderabad, Nov 12 (NationPress) Telangana Endowment and Forest Minister Konda Surekha has officially retracted her comments regarding the esteemed actor Nagarjuna and his family.
Amidst a defamation lawsuit initiated by the actor last year, the minister took to 'X' to express that her earlier remarks were never meant to offend him or any member of his family.
"I want to clarify that the remarks I made concerning Nagarjuna Garu were not intended to hurt him or any of his family members. I had no intention of causing distress or defaming Akkineni Nagarjuna Garu or his family," the minister stated.
"I sincerely regret any unintended impression conveyed through my statements regarding them and hereby withdraw those comments," she continued.
The controversial remarks were made on October 2 of the previous year, where she attributed the divorce between Nagarjuna's son, Naga Chaitanya, and actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, to K. T. Rama Rao (KTR), the working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
In response to the minister's statements, Samantha released a statement clarifying that her divorce was a mutual decision.
She requested the minister to refrain from trivializing her personal experiences and to respect individuals' privacy.
Following her announcement on 'X', Konda Surekha reiterated that her comments were not intended to offend but were aimed at questioning a leader’s disrespect towards women.
However, Nagarjuna proceeded to file a petition in a city court under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
He asserted that the minister's comments have tarnished his family’s dignity and reputation.
Nagarjuna expressed that Konda Surekha’s remarks were disrespectful, especially concerning his son’s divorce from Samantha.
The actor claimed that her statements have sullied his family’s reputation, which has been meticulously built over decades through contributions to the film industry and social service.
Despite KTR issuing a legal notice demanding the minister to retract her statement and apologize, she initially stood by her comments regarding the BRS leader.
Consequently, KTR also initiated defamation proceedings against Konda Surekha.