‘Apologise in 7 days or face defamation’; Sukhbir Badal sends notice to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann for remarks on his private business

Chandigarh, March 15

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said he had served Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann a legal notice asking him to tender a written apology in seven days for making “scandalous and concocted imputations” against him vis-a-vis his private business, failing which the AAP leader would face a criminal defamation case.

“I have served @BhagwantMann a legal notice asking him to tender a written apology (within 7 days) for making scandalous and concocted imputations against me vis a vis my private business, failing which he should be ready to face a criminal defamation case,” wrote Badal on X.

Badal said: “Mann was already evading an appearance in Sri Muktsar Sahib court, where I had filed a case (on January 11) against my wilful defamation as well as that of my family and my party – Shiromani Akali Dal during an event organised at Ludhiana. Earlier I used to ignore his lies & falsehoods, but now he won’t be allowed to go scot-free. He will have to apologise or be ready to go behind bars.”

Earlier, too, Badal had launched a frontal attack on the chief minister, saying, “You all have witnessed how the chief minister behaved in the Vidhan Sabha recently. He has befooled everyone in the name of ‘badlav’ (change) once. Don’t let it happen again.”

Claiming that the chief minister and Kejriwal were busy indulging in “cheap publicity stunts”, Badal alleged, “Punjab is suffering but Bhagwant Mann is busy hosting Kejriwal in Punjab by using crores of public funds.”