Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal took a significant legal step on Thursday by filing a defamation suit, seeking damages of Rs 1 crore from Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The lawsuit alleges willful defamation, asserting that Mann’s actions are part of a larger Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) conspiracy aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Badal family and the SAD.
Badal personally filed the civil suit in the court of the Civil Judge in Muktsar, with his advocate handling the legal proceedings. Additionally, a court fee of Rs 2.29 lakh was submitted along with the suit.
The legal document contends that on November 1, 2023, Chief Minister Mann orchestrated a dramatic narrative, falsely claiming that the plaintiff and his family diverted precious water from Punjab to their farmland in Balasar village, Haryana, through the construction of a private canal. Despite being aware of the actual facts, Mann allegedly made these statements deliberately, fully aware of the potential negative consequences given his influential position.
The suit clarifies that Badal and the SAD have consistently fought to conserve every drop of water, while the Chief Minister and AAP have taken a contrary stance regarding river waters in Haryana, all for political gain.
Badal, in the defamation suit, accuses Mann of regularly making false, unsubstantiated, and malicious statements against him. The Chief Minister, according to Badal, has painted him and the Badal family as highly corrupt individuals who have plundered Punjab, labelling them as anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab.
Claiming that these allegations are part of a premeditated conspiracy orchestrated by the Chief Minister in collaboration with his political superiors, Badal stated, “All this has been done as part of a pre-planned conspiracy of the Chief Minister in league with his political bosses.”
In his remarks to the media following the legal filing, Badal accused Mann of habitual dishonesty and practicing a politics of deception. He vowed that Mann would be held accountable and compelled to appear in court to clarify and substantiate his statements. Badal affirmed his commitment to preventing the misuse of the Chief Minister’s position for engaging in defamatory actions.
