Rivals trying to target my husband: Mann’s wife on ₹5-cr bribery charges

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, on Sunday termed the ₹5 crore bribery allegations against her as “baseless”, saying political opponents are trying to make a desperate attempt to target her husband

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, on Sunday termed the ₹5 crore bribery allegations against her as “baseless”, saying political opponents are trying to make a desperate attempt to target her husband.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife Gurpreet Kaur and others during Teej celebrations in Patiala on Sunday. (PTI)

“There is no truth in it (allegations). I am not scared of these charges, and I challenge those making these claims to produce evidence or face legal action,” said Kaur after attending a Teej function in Patiala.

She was accompanied by health minister Dr Balbir Singh and Punjab Women Commission chairperson Raj Lalli Gill. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday took cognisance of allegations that Kaur sought ₹5 crore to suppress a rape case and directed the Punjab chief secretary and the director general of police (DGP) to conduct a probe into the allegations and submit an action-taken report (ATR) within two weeks. The action came on a complaint by former Punjab and Haryana high court judge justice Ranjit Singh, said the rights panel.

The Aam Aadmi Party has described the charges as “politically motivated”, with Kaur shooting off a legal notice to the complainant, seeking an apology over the charges. “A notice has been sent to the complainant justice Ranjit Singh, who is a brother-in-law of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira. An apology has been sought within 24 hours for the allegations, failing which legal proceedings would be initiated and the matter will be taken to court,” AAP’s Moga MLA Amandeep Kaur had told reporters.