CHANDIGARH, Jan 17 — A local court on Saturday granted bail to former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in a criminal defamation case stemming from a 2017 dispute. The decision comes after the court had previously issued a non-bailable warrant against the leader in December following his failure to attend a scheduled hearing.
The case involves allegations made by Rajinder Pal Singh, spokesperson for the Akhand Kirtani Jatha. Singh filed the complaint after Badal allegedly described the religious organization as the political face of a terrorist group. The complainant mentioned that the statement was baseless and intended to tarnish his reputation following a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“The non-appearance before the court was neither wilful nor intentional,” Badal’s legal counsel argued during the proceedings.
Defense advocates Damanbir Singh Sobti and Arshdeep Singh Kler noted that the case is false and frivolous, suggesting it was filed for political motives. They directly said the allegations should be dismissed given the context of the initial statement.
The Chandigarh Police had previously submitted a factual inquiry report in 2019, which served as the basis for the criminal defamation filing. While the complainant stood by his charges during the investigation, Badal has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
