The ongoing war of words on social media between Kesineni brothers – former Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani and his younger brother and current MP Kesineni Chinni — has taken a legal turn.
On Thursday, Kesineni Chinni served a notice to Nani through his lawyer, threatening to file a defamation suit for Rs 100 crore, if the former MP did not retract his comments on social media and tender unconditional apology in public.
Posting this defamation notice on his social media handle X, Nani said he was not afraid of such notices, even if he is sued for one lakh crore; and that he would stand by his allegation.
In the legal notice, Chinni’s lawyer alleged that Nani had maliciously and deliberately assaulted his reputation through a highly defamatory, scandalous, and false public letter published on his Facebook account on April 22.
“In the said post, you have made grave and reckless accusations suggesting that Chinni is the real beneficiary and benami behind the company Ursa Clusters Pvt Ltd, with the motive of grabbing government land for personal profiteering. You have alleged, inter alia, that the said company is a fraudulent vehicle created for land grabbing,” the notice said.
He also found fault with Nani for alleging that Chinni was misusing the name of Nara Lokesh for illegal activities and that he was involved in various criminal activities including sand, gravel, fly ash mining, gambling, and real estate mafias.
“These wild allegations are completely false, unfounded, concocted, and defamatory. There is not an iota of truth in your statements, which have been made with malicious intent to harm the reputation, political standing, and public image of Chinni,” he said.
He demanded a public apology from Nani within 5 days of receipt of the notice and that he should delete all the references made in the Facebook.
“We also want a commitment from you to refrain from making any further false or defamatory content about Chinni,” he said.
Nani, however, shot back at Chinni.
“I was given the legal notice because I raised legitimate questions in an open letter addressed to the chief minister. I stand by every word I wrote,” he said.
He said it was not just a legal notice, but a clear attempt to intimidate, silence, and muzzle criticism.
“But I will not be silenced. Public office comes with public scrutiny. When questions are raised about land dealings, misuse of names, and alleged irregularities, answers are expected — not threats,” he said.
He said he would respond to the notice, not with fear, but with facts. Not in silence, but in public.
“And certainly, not with compromise. Truth doesn’t fear threats. And neither do I,” he said.
