Former Telangana minister KTR appeared at Nampally Court today to testify in a defamation case. During his 20-minute statement, KTR claimed that Minister Konda Surekha made false accusations against him merely for publicity.

In his court statement, KTR said Surekha’s comments damaged both his and BRS party’s reputation. He specifically mentioned her allegations about him being a drug addict and hosting rave parties. Several witnesses who have known KTR for 18 years contacted him after seeing Surekha’s TV interviews about these claims.

KTR came to court with several supporters, including Dasoju Sravan, Satyavati Rathod, Balka Suman, and former minister Jagadish Reddy. While the court recorded statements from KTR and Dasoju Sravan today, other witnesses will testify on the 30th of this month.

In a related development, KTR has also sent legal notices to Union Minister Bandi Sanjay. The notice demands an unconditional apology within a week for making unproven allegations about KTR’s involvement in phone tapping cases and drug use. Sanjay had claimed that KTR secretly allied with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to avoid phone tapping cases.

KTR strongly denied these accusations, stating they were politically motivated attacks since his opponents couldn’t challenge him on real issues. His legal notice warns that failure to apologize publicly will result in criminal proceedings.

-Sanyogita