Sukhbir Badal sends criminal defamation notice to Dera supporter Veerpal Kaur and News 18 TV Channel
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal sent a criminal defamation notice to Dera Sirsa supporter Veerpal Kaur and a correspondent of News 18 television channel besides the supervisory staff of the channel for making derogatory and defamatory imputations and broadcasting the same respectively.
Disclosing this in a virtual press conference, former minister Daljit Singh Cheema said that 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 that failing this Sukhbir Singh Badal would be constrained to civil remedies in the law of libel. As per the notice, Veerpal Kaur tried to cause irreparable loss to 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 offense 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 program 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.
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The notice said that 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 that appeared to be sponsored by them.
-PTC News
