Hyderabad: BRS Working President KT Rama Rao has served a legal notice to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, charging him with making baseless and defamatory remarks linking him to the alleged phone-tapping controversy. Demanding an unconditional public apology within seven days, the BRS leader said failure to comply would attract civil and criminal proceedings.

In the notice, Rama Rao’s legal counsel cited the Union Minister’s statements during a press conference on August 8, where the latter allegedly made unsubstantiated allegations aimed at tarnishing his reputation, and said the Union Minister was abusing his position to launch personal attacks.

“Such accusations, without any evidence, are unbecoming of a Union Minister and a Parliament member. They amounted to a deliberate attempt to tarnish reputation of another elected representative,” the notice said.

The advocates said Bandi Sanjay was repeatedly making unfounded charges for political mileage and media attention. They pointed out that the BRS working president served the State in various capacities as elected representative and Minister since Telangana formation, and such defamatory propaganda was causing serious damage to his personal and political standing.

The notice also demanded for a written assurance that no further direct or indirect defamatory statements would be made against Rama Rao or his family. It cautioned that any fresh wild, false and malicious allegations would invite harsher legal consequences as per law.