Venkatesh Daggubati, along with three other family members, has been booked by the Hyderabad Police on Sunday for the unlawful demolition of a hotel that they had leased to another individual.
In addition to Venkatesh Daggubati, the police have also booked his nephew Rana Daggubati, Rana's father Suresh, a film producer, and his brother Abhiram, who is also a producer.
According to official records, the Daggubati family had leased their property in Film Nagar to Nanda Kumar, a businessman who is also a suspect in a separate MLA purchase scandal. Nanda had been operating the Deccan Kitchen hotel on the leased land. However, tensions arose over the lease agreement between the Daggubati family and Nanda Kumar, resulting in legal disputes.
Nanda Kumar claimed that the family engaged in theft and unlawfully demolished two properties in Jubilee Hills, violating active court orders from both the City Civil Court and the Telangana High Court. He also accused the family of forcibly entering the premises and causing significant damage, allegedly with the assistance of anti-social elements.
He also that the hotel was demolished despite a pending injunction from the City Civil Court and against orders from the Telangana High Court. The demolition occurred just one day after a local court directed the police to file a case against the Daggubatis.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had previously issued an order for the demolition of the properties, but the process was put on hold due to the ongoing legal dispute. According to the complainant, the accused caused damages worth over Rs 20 crores while the properties were under court custody in 2022.
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Despite court injunctions, Nanda Kumar alleged that the accused continued to threaten his employees and resumed attempts to demolish the property, including an incident that took place on November 13, 2022.
After Nanda Kumar filed a private complaint, the court took cognizance of the issue and instructed the Film Nagar police to conduct a thorough investigation. As demolition efforts persisted into January 2024, the complainant appealed to the court to take action under various IPC sections, including criminal trespassing and conspiracy. This case has garnered significant attention due to the involvement of prominent figures from the film industry and the serious claims of property damage.
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