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Says She Will Move Court if He Fails to Withdraw It.
Chandigarh: Former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu has strongly dismissed the legal notice served to her by Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, calling it “baseless” and reiterating that she stands firmly by every remark she has made. Kaur warned that unless Randhawa withdraws the notice, she will initiate her own legal proceedings. She maintained that her statements were protected under the right to free speech and were grounded in media reports already in circulation.
Randhawa—who also serves as the party’s in-charge for Rajasthan—had on Tuesday issued a legal notice to Kaur, demanding an unconditional apology for what he termed defamatory allegations. According to the notice, Kaur publicly accused Randhawa on December 7 and 8 of engaging in corrupt practices, including allegedly distributing Congress tickets in exchange for money.
“These statements were made without any evidence and were aimed at tarnishing my client’s reputation,” the notice said, adding that the Gurdaspur MP has upheld transparency throughout his political career. The notice invokes Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and seeks a published apology within seven days on the same media platforms where her statements appeared.
The row intensified soon after the Punjab Congress suspended Navjot Kaur Sidhu from the party’s primary membership on Monday, following her explosive “Rs 500-crore cash-for-CM” allegation.
More party leaders have since taken legal steps against her. Tarn Taran district Congress president Rajbir Singh Bhullar has issued a separate notice over her claim that Congress bypoll candidate Karanbir Singh Burj paid Rs 10 crore to obtain a ticket. Bhullar has threatened to pursue further legal action if she does not retract her statement within a week.
Similarly, Congress leader Anil Joshi has announced that he will file a criminal defamation case after Kaur alleged he paid money to join the party. “She must apologise, or I will proceed legally,” Joshi said.
On Monday, Kaur told reporters in Patiala that neither she nor her husband — former Punjab Congress chief and ex-cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu — had the financial resources to “buy” political posts, but insisted they had the vision to “transform Punjab into a golden state.” Last week, she said Sidhu would return to active politics if the Congress projected him as its chief ministerial face for Punjab.
