Actor Nagarjuna on Tuesday appeared before a local court here to record his statement in the criminal defamation complaint filed by him against Telangana Minister Konda Surekha over her comments about the divorce of his son Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

Nagarjuna, who was accompanied by his wife Amala and Naga Chaitanya, reached the court at Nampally here in the afternoon.

Nagarjuna had filed the complaint against Surekha under Section 356 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Surekha stirred up a controversy last week by alleging that BRS leader KT Rama Rao was the reason behind Prabhu and Chaitanya's divorce in 2021.

Surekha, Minister of Forest, withdrew her remarks that triggered strong reactions from political leaders and the Telugu cinema industry.

Prabhu and Chaitanya had criticised the minister's comments and said their divorce was a mutual and personal decision.

Reacting strongly to her comments, many prominent personalities from the Telugu film industry condemned the Congress leader, terming her comments as derogatory.

In his complaint, a copy of which was shared by son Naga Chaitanya on his social media, Nagarjuna alleged that the minister's remarks damaged his family's reputation.

Surekha had said that she had to take the names of the actors after she became emotional over the comments made by Rama Rao, the BRS working president, about her.

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