A senior BJP leader Swaran Salaria, who had unsuccessfully contested Gurdaspur lok Sabha by-poll in 2017, has filed a criminal defamation case against Punjab Cabinet Ministers Navjot Singh Sidhu and Manpreet Badal. Sending legal notices to Sidhu and Manpreet, Salaria has sought Rs 100 crore each as damages alleging that he lost by-elections because of false allegations levelled against him.
The case will come up for next hearing on April 20. Sidhu and Manpreet have been booked under section 500 and 501 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Salaria said that the two Congress leaders had given an opportunity to apologize, but they did not do it. He has asked Sidhu and Manpreet to prove their innocence.
Gurdaspur parliamentary seat fall vacant after the then sitting BJP MP and yesteryears’ superstar Vinod Khanna died, and by-election was held on October 11, last year. Salaria lost to Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar.
In the run up to elections, Salaria was accused of raping a former air-hostess on the pretext of marriage.
Even as Salaria had all along been denying the allegations, his rivals exploit the issue. Salaria now claimed that it was due to this “false campaign” by the Congress leaders, especially Sidhu and Manpreet, that he lost the elections and his image suffered a major hit.