Setback for CM Manns wife: Court lifts restraining order on Justice(Retd). Ranjit Singh in defamation case
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court said the petitioner had concealed important facts and made misleading statements.
PTC News Desk: In a significant development, Chandigarh District Court has cancelled its September 8 interim order that had imposed restrictions on retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge and Punjab Human Rights Organisation president Ranjit Singh, following a petition filed by Gurpreet Kaur in defamation case.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court said the petitioner had concealed important facts and made misleading statements.
Retired Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Ranjit Singh had alleged that Gurpreet Kaur took a bribe of Rs 5 crore in exchange for suppressing a rape case. Ranjit Singh claimed that Gurpreet Kaur had not informed the court that the allegations related to the alleged bribe were already part of a case pending before the High Court.
In its July 20, 2026 order, the High Court had stated that allegations that the Chief Minister's wife had demanded Rs 4-5 crore were mentioned not only in the statements of the petitioners but also in the petition filed by respondent number 6. Ranjit Singh therefore argued that the allegations were part of the public court record and were not fabricated.
The court, while hearing the defamation case, said that petitioner Gurpreet Kaur had attempted to mislead the court.
'Allegations without evidence'
Gurpreet Kaur said that Ranjit Singh is a former judge and that the public has strong faith in the judiciary and retired judges. She argued that making direct allegations against her at a press conference without concrete evidence was inappropriate.
She said the allegations had not been investigated or confirmed by any court and alleged that the purpose was political, aimed at creating a false narrative of corruption against the Chief Minister's wife.
The controversy began after a public statement by retired High Court judge Ranjit Singh, followed by a complaint from the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), which alleged that Rs 5 crore had been demanded to settle a rape case.
After the Chief Minister's wife's name was directly linked to the allegations in the complaint, the matter attracted attention at the national level.
The Aam Aadmi Party has described the allegations as a politically motivated conspiracy, pointing to the reported family links between Ranjit Singh and Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira.