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Sukhbir serves legal notice to Punjab CM for making ‘malicious’ allegations
Sukhbir has asked Mann to tender a written apology within seven days or face a criminal defamation lawsuit
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday served a legal notice to chief minister Bhagwant Mann asking him to tender a written apology for making ‘malicious’ allegations against him over bending of rules to facilitate construction of a Sukhvilas resort as well as grant of ₹108 crore tax exemptions during the erstwhile SAD-BJP government.
Sukhbir has asked Mann to tender a written apology within seven days or face a criminal defamation lawsuit.
Mann had last month alleged that the Badal family had taxes worth ₹108 crore waived for a Mohali-based luxury hotel -- Sukhvilas -- by way of a “tailor-made” eco-tourism policy during the Akali regime. The state government will take action in the matter, Mann had said.
“Now the CM will be held accountable for every utterance made by him. He will have to substantiate the allegations made by him or he should be ready to go behind bars,” Sukhbir said.
“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,” Sukhbir posted on X on Friday. In his post, Sukhbir also made a mention of a defamation suit which he had filed against Mann in January in another matter.
In January, Sukhbir filed a defamation suit against Bhagwant Mann, seeking ₹1 crore in damages for making “malicious” allegations against the Badal family. Badal had filed the suit in a court in Muktsar district over Mann’s accusation he made at the ‘Main Punjab Bolda Haan’ debate, held at an auditorium of the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana on November 1.
