CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today sent a criminal defamation notice to Dera Sirsa supporter Veerpal Kaur and a correspondent of News 18 television channel besides supervisory staff of the channel for making derogatory and defamatory imputations and broadcasting the same respectively.
Disclosing this here through a virtual press conference, former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the criminal defamation notice had called upon Veerpal Kaur as well as News 18 correspondent Yadwinder Karfew and supervisory staff including Executive Editor Jyoti Kamal and Managing Director Rahul Joshi to issue, publish and broadcast a written apology which should be duly broadcasted on the same channel with the same prominence within two days of receipt of the notice. Dr Cheema said failing this Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal would be constrained to civil remedies in law of libel.
As per the notice, Veerpal Kaur tried to cause irreparable loss to Mr Sukhbir Badal’s reputation as well as that of his family and the SAD with the tactical support of his political opponents keeping in view the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in 2022. The notice said News18 broadcasted the derogatory, baseless and false imputation knowing full well that they were absolutely incorrect.
The notice said any Sikh across the world would take the highest offence against a person alleged to be involved in a blasphemous act and Veerpal Kaur insinuated just this during an interview with News 18 on July 14 in a programme called Khabran Da Prime Time which is hosted by Yadwinder Karfew. It said the defamatory statement appeared to be sponsored by the political opponents of the SAD President.
The notice said despite knowing that the imputations were incorrect the News 18 correspondent and supervisory staff aired them again on their channel on July 15 while taking the name of the SAD President at regular intervals to tarnish his personal, public and social reputation and esteem. The notice said this was not all. News 18 allowed PCC President Sunil Jakhar and Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa to take political advantage over an incorrect and baseless statement which appeared to be sponsored by them.
Dr Daljit Cheema said it was shocking that Veerpal Kaur had suddenly appeared on television thirteen years after the Salabatpura incident to level cheap and baseless allegations against the SAD President. He said it was also unfortunate that News 18 allowed this canard to be telecast. He said this had caused immense damage to the SAD President’s family whose father S Parkash Singh Badal was a five time chief minister and had also been conferred with the title of Panth Rattan Fakhr-e- Kaum by Sri Akal Takth Sahib. He said Mr Sukhbir Badal had a distinguished record of service to Punjab and Punjabis.
Dr Cheema said the State was witnessing lowering of standards of political discourse since quite some time by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He said earlier in 2002 Capt Amarinder Singh had written a letter with baseless allegations against S Parkash Singh Badal but after passing the public test Mr Badal had withdrawn the same. He said this grace was not reciprocated and AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal had indulged in malicious propaganda against Mr Bikram Singh Majithia and subsequently apologized for the same when a defamation case was filed against him. He said instead of learning from these two examples now the Congress party in league with AAP was again resorting to defamation of the SAD on the issue of sacrilege.
The SAD leader said the party had formed an internal committee of lawyers who would scan the media including social media on a regular basis and file defamation suits against anyone indulging in mudslinging by leveling false and baseless allegations against the party as well as its leaders.