Andhra Pradesh Minister and TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh is set to appear once again before the Visakhapatnam 12th Additional District Court on Wednesday, January 7, in connection with a defamation case filed against the Sakshi newspaper. This will be the third round of cross-examination in the case, after two earlier sessions were already completed.
The case relates to an article published by Sakshi on October 22, 2019, under the headline “Chinna Babu’s Snacks… ₹25 Lakhs,” which Lokesh has alleged was filled with false and fabricated claims. According to Lokesh, the report was published with deliberate intent to damage his reputation by attributing expenses and actions to him that were untrue.
Following the publication, Lokesh, through his legal counsel, issued a registered legal notice to Sakshi, demanding an explanation and retraction. However, as the newspaper allegedly failed to provide a satisfactory response, he proceeded to file a criminal defamation suit. In his petition, Lokesh stated that the article contained baseless allegations and misleading information aimed at tarnishing his public image.
Lokesh has also clarified before the court that he was not even present in Visakhapatnam on the dates mentioned in the report, directly contradicting the claims made in the article. He further argued that expenses incurred for guests invited by the government were wrongly attributed to him in an attempt to malign him. He told the court that despite visiting Visakhapatnam several times in the past in his capacity as a minister, he never availed himself of special protocol facilities at the airport.
Senior advocates Doddala Koteswara Rao and S.V. Ramana are representing Nara Lokesh in this case. The proceedings are being closely watched, as the matter involves allegations of media accountability, political reputation, and the limits of journalistic reporting.