Hyderabad, Aug 12 (PTI) BRS Working President K T Rama Rao has sent a legal notice to Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar for allegedly making defamatory remarks against him over the case of "illegal phone tapping" during the previous BRS government.
Responding to the notice, Sanjay Kumar said he would not be cowed down by such notices.
In the notice, dated August 11, Rama Rao's lawyer alleged that Sanjay Kumar, Union Minister of State for Home, made false, defamatory and slanderous statements implying that his client (Rama Rao) committed "phone tapping".
"At the outset, our client states that allegations made by you (Sanjay Kumar) are misplaced without proof and reek of your malafide intention to tarnish the reputation, image and goodwill of our client," the lawyer said in the notice, which was released to the media on Tuesday.
Sanjay Kumar's intentions are clear that the defamatory statements are made to "further his political gains" at the cost of Rama Rao's reputation and goodwill.
The notice asked Kumar to tender an unconditional apology to the BRS Working President and refrain from engaging in any alleged malicious or frivolous defamatory acts against the latter and his family members.
It said Rama Rao would be constrained to initiate legal action against Kumar, including but not limited to civil and criminal, if he failed to comply with the demand to tender an unconditional apology within seven days of receipt of the notice.
Sanjay Kumar, who appeared as a witness before the SIT in the illegal phone tapping case in Telangana, on August 8, called for the investigation to be transferred to the CBI.
The Union Minister hit out at former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and also Rama Rao on the allegations of phone-tapping, claiming that his phone was tapped by following the procedure used for surveillance of Maoist activities.
Sanjay Kumar said the "criminals" involved in phone tapping would be exposed.
"Game On. No question of fearing legal notices. Truth is a lion; set it free and it will defend itself. Criminals who ruined lives through phone tapping will be exposed. Satyameva Jayate!!" he said in a post on X.