BJP leader Kanna Lakshminarayana loses case against daughter-in-law, asked to pay Rs 1 Cr

Hyderabad: The daughter-in-law of former Andhra Pradesh BJP chief Kanna Lakshminarayana has won a domestic violence case. The court has asked Mr. Lakshminarayana and his family to pay a compensation of Rs. 1 crore to Srilakshmi Keerti. The Vijayawada first additional chief metropolitan court also directed the police to provide protection to Srilakshmi Keerti.

Kanna Nagaraju and Keerti married on 10 May 2006 and their daughter was born in 2013. In 2015, Keerti filed a domestic violence case against her in-laws and husband alleging that her mother-in-law was not allowing her parents to see her. She also claimed that Nagaraju was harassing her and accusing her of having an extramarital affair.

When Keerti questioned her husband about his affair, he beat her up on 29 March 2015 and sent her away from home. Keerti sought action against her in-laws and husband under the Domestic Violence Act and also pleaded for protection for herself and her daughter.

The magistrate has asked her husband and in-laws to pay the compensation of Rs. 1 crore in three months. They will have to pay 12% interest if they fail to pay within the given time. The former minister's family has also been ordered to provide accommodation to Keerti and her daughter in their house and in case they fail to do so, they will have to pay Rs. 50,000 per month. As Keerti's daughter has some health issues, the magistrate asked the respondents to pay Rs. 50,000 for the girl's treatment.

Kanna Lakshminarayana served as a minister in the Congress government from 1991 to 1994 and from 2004 to 2014. After bifurcation, he joined the BJP and was the party's Andhra Pradesh president in 2018.