Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday failed to attend the first hearing in the defamation case filed against him by Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal, sources said.
Sources said that CM Mann's lawyers participated in the entire hearing and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann presented his side through the lawyers. Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal had filed a Rs 1 crore defamation case in Sri Muktsar Sahib court on January 11 against CM Mann. Sukhbir Badal has accused Mann of making false accusations against him and his family.
The war of words between Mann and Badal came in the backdrop of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's open invitation to opposition leaders for a debate on November 1 last year. In this regard, Bhagwant Mann invited the leaders of the opposition parties, but none of the leaders came for the debate. Later CM Mann made serious allegations against the Badal family and opposition leaders.
Chief Minister Mann had said that the Badal family owned a hotel in Delhi and Balasar Farm in Haryana adding a special canal was built for the fields of the Badal family. CM Mann had said that the Badal family had “illegally” obtained permits of their buses in Punjab. Following the allegations, Sukhbir Badal sent a legal notice to CM Mann and asked him to apologize, but CM Mann did not budge, after which the President of Shiromani Akali Dal filed a defamation case in the court of Muktsar Sahib.
While filing the case in the court, Sukhbir Badal had said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had told “lies against the Badal family” for which he had given a legal notice but there was no response.
