AAP leader Sanjay Singh granted bail in defamation case filed by Punjab minister

Ludhiana: A local court on Monday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) senior leader and incharge of the party's Punjab affairs Sanjay Singh in a criminal defamation case filed by Punjab cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia. The case was filed by Majithia, Revenue Minister, against Singh on January 11. Sanjay Singh furnished surety bonds of Rs 50,000.

Judicial Magistrate Bikramdeep Singh adjourned the case for February 20 for the service of summons to the remaining accused. Apart from the AAP leader, a reporter and an editor of an English daily were also accused in this defamation case.

The statements of Punjab's PWD Minister Sharnjit Singh Dhillon, MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali and Chief Minister's adviser Mahesh Inder Grewal were already recorded by the courrt in connection with the case. They supported the complainant's version that he was defamed.

The case was filed in the court of Bikramdeep Singh under section 499/500 (defamation) of IPC. Sanjay Singh had at a rally in Moga on September 9, 2015 and at Fatehgarh Sahib in December made a false and defamatory statement that the Revenue Minister had a hand in the drug racket in the state, Majithia said in his complaint to the court.

In his complaint, Majithia, had rejected the allegation levelled against him by the AAP leader of having patronised the drug mafia, saying it was baseless. He had said that the allegation has damaged his reputation.