By IANS
Hyderabad : A court Tuesday sentenced former minister and senior leader of the opposition Telugu Desam Party N. Janardhan Reddy to six months’imprisonment in a defamation case filed by Minister for Rural Development G. Chinna Reddy.
First class munsif magistrate court in Mahabubnagar district also imposed a fine of Rs.5,000 on the former minister. The court, however, deferred the sentence by one month to enable him to file an appeal in a higher court.
Chinna Reddy of the ruling Congress party had filed the case in 2002 against the then minister Janardhan Reddy for making defamatory remarks against him.
Janardhan Reddy had alleged that the doctorate degree of Chinna Reddy was bogus. Janardhan Reddy had also branded him a ‘cheat’ and ‘racketeer’.
“The court verdict is the victory of truth. It has come after six years. The court has declared that my degree is a genuine one and I am happy about it,” Chinna Reddy told mediapersons here.
The minister advised the TDP leader to desist from making wild allegations against others.