Supreme Court dismisses Sukhbir Badal's defamation plea

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a plea by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal seeking to quash criminal defamation proceedings against him. The case stems from remarks made during the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections.

Badal, who was the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab at the time, allegedly claimed that the Akhand Kirtani Jatha (AKJ) served as a “political front” for the banned terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The complaint was filed by Rajinder Pal Singh, an AKJ member, who alleged that the statements tarnished his reputation by associating him with a banned outfit.

A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu refused to interfere with the proceedings, following a previous decision by the Punjab and Haryana High Court that also declined to quash the complaint and the summoning order issued by a judicial magistrate.