The Hyderabad City Civil Court has issued significant interim orders in a ₹10 crore defamation suit filed by BRS working president and former minister K.T. Rama Rao (KTR). The court has restrained Congress MLCs Balmuri Venkat and Addanki Dayakar from making allegedly false and defamatory statements against KTR. It has also directed media organisations to remove disputed videos and news reports from social media, YouTube and other digital platforms.
The case follows a series of personal allegations made by the Congress leaders at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) media hall and other public platforms. KTR alleged in his petition that the leaders had linked him to drugs and private jet travel. He also accused them of making inappropriate claims about his personal relationships with film celebrities and actresses. The petition further stated that remarks suggesting several people had left for Mumbai out of fear of KTR had damaged his personal reputation and political standing.
After hearing arguments from KTR‘s legal team, the City Civil Court issued interim directions against the publication and circulation of disputed content related to the case. The court made it clear that the defendants should not make further allegedly defamatory statements on the issues raised in the suit. It also directed media and digital platforms to remove the specified videos and reports.
The court issued notices to Balmuri Venkat and Addanki Dayakar and scheduled the next hearing for December 28.
The interim orders offer legal relief to KTR as the defamation case moves forward. BRS leaders have welcomed the development and said it sends a strong message against making personal allegations without evidence. They maintain that political differences should be addressed through criticism of policies and governance rather than attacks on an individual’s private life.
