Hyderabad, Jan 12: Hyderabad police have filed a criminal case against actor Daggubati Venkatesh and his family for allegedly demolishing a hotel illegally in January 2024, despite an ongoing injunction from a City Civil Court and a Telangana High Court order to maintain the status quo.
The case involves Venkatesh, his brother and producer Daggubati Suresh, Suresh's son and actor Daggubati Rana, and Rana's brother and producer Daggubati Abhiram. They have been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including trespassing and criminal conspiracy (Sections 448, 452, 458, and 120B).
The First Information Report (FIR) lists Suresh as the first accused, with Venkatesh, Rana, and Abhiram following as subsequent accused. The case concerns the demolition of the Deccan Kitchen Hotel in Film Nagar, which was allegedly carried out by the Daggubati family. Although the property is owned by the Daggubati family, it had been leased to Nanda Kumar, an individual linked to a 2022 poaching attempt involving Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now Bharat Rashtra Samithi) MLAs.
In November 2022, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) demolished parts of the hotel and surrounding structures built by Kumar, citing unauthorized construction. In July 2023, the Telangana High Court ordered the GHMC to explain the demolition and instructed that the status quo be maintained.
Despite the court's order, the Daggubati family reportedly went ahead and demolished the entire structure in January 2024. Kumar, who claimed he suffered a loss of Rs 20 crore due to the demolition, approached the Nampally Court for violating the court’s orders. The court then directed the police to investigate the matter.
Following ongoing proceedings, the court on Saturday instructed the police to file an FIR against the accused.
