Sukhbir Badal serves Bhagwant Mann legal notice for making 'scandalous imputations'

Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said he has sent a legal notice to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, asking him to tender a written apology for making "scandalous and concocted imputations" against him over his private business.

Badal 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 Rs 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, he had said.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had later dared Mann to register a case to substantiate his allegations against SAD chief Sukhbir Badal or apologise for his "malicious lies."

"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," Badal posted on X on Friday.

In his post, Badal also made a mention of a defamation suit which he had filed against Mann in January in another matter.

"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," wrote Badal.

In January, Badal filed a defamation suit against Bhagwant Mann, seeking Rs 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.

The Congress, SAD, and BJP had skipped that debate.

The suit said Mann indulged in a drama on November 1 by asserting that water of Punjab was diverted by the plaintiff and his family to their farmland in Balasar village of Haryana through a private canal.

It said the chief minister made this 'scurrilous' statement despite knowing the facts.

Mann had then welcomed the defamation suit, saying it would give him another chance to expose the 'misdeeds' of the Badal family.