Overview

• The Special Judicial Magistrate found prima facie evidence under Section 356 of the BNS to support KTR’s criminal defamation complaint.
• Police have been instructed to register the case and serve Minister Konda Surekha with notice by August 21.
• The suit follows October allegations in which Surekha accused KTR of phone tapping, blackmail, drug use and involvement in a celebrity divorce.
• The court dismissed Surekha’s objections to its jurisdiction and the admissibility of a pen drive containing video footage of her remarks.
• The decision marks a shift from KTR’s initial apology demand to formal criminal proceedings under India’s new defamation framework.