Court restrains MLCs Balmoor Venkat, Addanki Dayakar in KTR defamation suit

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad City Civil Court on Wednesday issued interim orders restraining MLCs Balmoor Venkat and Addanki Dayakar from making further allegations against BRS working president KT Rama Rao regarding issues raised in his Rs 10 crore defamation suit.

The court also directed media organisations, including Mana Tholi Velugu TV, ABN Telugu and Vahini TV among others, to remove previously published videos and reports containing the disputed allegations and refrain from publishing such content in the future.

Seeking to restrain the alleged false and defamatory campaign against him and obtain compensation for the damage caused to his reputation, Rama Rao filed the civil suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages, along with mandatory and permanent injunctions.

In his suit, the BRS working president challenged allegations concerning drug consumption, attempts to portray him as a drug addict or promoter of a drug culture, and allegations about his personal relationships with women, film personalities and other prominent individuals. He contended that the dissemination of such claims through videos, interviews and news reports without proper evidence or verification had damaged his reputation.

Appearing for Rama Rao, senior advocate P Vishwajanani argued the case before the court on Wednesday. After hearing the arguments, the court issued interim orders in the matter.