Punjab Health Minister files defamation suit against MLA

| | Chandigarh | in Chandigarh

Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra on Wednesday filed a defamation case against the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) president and MLA from Ludhiana’s Atam Nagar seat Simarjeet Singh Bains for making false allegations against him. 

Bains had recently accused Mohindra of having links with a pharmaceutical company, which was supplying drugs to the de-addiction centres in Punjab. Earlier, Mohindra had sent a 15-day notice to Bains. 

“Simarjeet Singh Bains has been leveling false and baseless accusations against me which are quite defamatory…I have today filed a criminal defamation against him and the Court has fixed August 24 as the next date of hearing,” said Mohindra after filing the case in the court of junior magistrate first class (JMIC) Nidhi Saini at the Patiala Court Complex.

The case has been filed under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Describing it as a “serious” matter, Mohindra said that Bains tried to dent his “unblemished political career of 40 years”. “I am ready for any probe…The company, which was being named by Bains, had been working in Punjab for the last five years and I had nothing to do with it,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Bains said that he was fighting a battle of truth. “I am unperturbed…During the previous Badal government, 13 false cases were registered against me, and now during the current Capt Amarinder Singh government, two more cases have been filed. But I would not deterred by these pressure tactics, and would continue to expose the wrongdoings of those in power without any hesitation,” he said.

Going into background of the matter, Bains, in June, had accused Mohindra of using his position to “benefit” some pharmaceutical company in which he allegedly had a “partnership”. 

Bains had gone on to accuse the Minister for using his office to “blackmail” owners of de-addiction centres in the state to buy medicines from some particular company, claiming that he had enough evidence against Mohindra.

That was not all! After making these allegations, Bains had also shot off a letter to the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh demanding an investigation by the central probing agency, CBI, accusing the state’s senior Congress leader of being a part of massive scam in the Health Department.