BHOPAL : The finance minister Jayant Mallaiya and his BJP leader wife Sudha Mallaiya told a press conference at their residence here on Tuesday that they have filed a defamation case against Congress chief spokesperson KK Mishra in the court of the chief judicial magistrate of Bhopal.
The minister said that on July 24, he came to know through newspapers and TV news channels that a day earlier, Mishra had alleged that the government was planning to provide 110 acres of land to a private educational institute at
a throwaway price to establish a university in Bhopal and that he was backing the owners. Mishra also alleged that his wife Sudha was a 25 percent partner in the venture.
The minister said that Devi Shakuntla Thakral Charitable Foundation Trust had applied for allotment of 110 acres of land and the state government would take a decision on it in accordance with the relevant rules and procedures.
He said that he had never written any letter to anyone recommending allotment of the land and neither his wife had anything to do with the proposed university. He also added that, “We are Jains and they (Thakral) are Punjabis then how can we relatives”.
Sudha Mallaiya added that she had attended only two functions of the Oriental Group (which has established the Trust). The duo added that the court had registered the case and the next hearing is scheduled from 24 August.
