Complaint case filed against Badal

Kapurthala, Oct 27 (UNI) District Congress Committee president Sukhpal Singh Khaira today filed a criminal complaint against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Parkash Singh Badal for allegedly defaming the Congress by publishing the suicide photograph of Gurdev Singh of Butala village in a Punjabi daily published from Jalandhar on October 15.

Judicial Magistrate Surinder Singh Sahni, after hearing the complainant, fixed January 15 as the date of hearing for recording the preliminary evidence in the case.

In a complaint filed against Mr Badal under section 500 of the IPC, Mr Khaira alleged that the SAD chief had stated through the advertisement that the villager had committed suicide due to the ''failure of the Congress government'' to help the poor farmers and used derogatory words against the Congress.

Mr Khaira stated in the complaint that the advertisement was mala fide in nature and intended to harm the reputation of the family and the image of the ruling Congress in the state.

UNI XC PS RL ND1734