Punjab Chief Minister's Wife Denies Rape Case Scuttling Allegations

Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, wife of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, termed the allegations that she had demanded Rs 5 crore to help scuttle a rape case 'baseless'. She said that the allegations were an attempt to politically target her husband. She also challenged those levelling charges against her to prove it or face legal action. Talking to the media after participating in a Teej function in Patiala, Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, who was accompanied by Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and Punjab Women Commission chairperson Raj Lalli Gill, said, "I am not scared of the allegations". On August 23, the National Human Rights Commission had taken cognisance of the allegations and asked the Chief Secretary and DGP of Punjab to submit an Action Taken Report in this regard within two weeks. Immediately thereafter, an official statement was released by the Chief Minister’s Office that she had sent a legal notice to the former judge. Her response comes amid a political controversy over the allegations, with the Opposition parties seeking answers from the Punjab Government and the Chief Minister’s family.