Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has sent a defamation notice to retired IPS officer Mohammad Mustafa, alleging that remarks made during a televised interview were aimed at damaging his reputation and credibility as a political leader.
Three-Page Defamation Notice Issued
Warring issued the legal notice on August 21 through Chandigarh-based advocate Nikhil Ghai of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The notice concerns remarks allegedly made by Mustafa during an interview with the platform Waqt De Bol. The programme was subsequently broadcast and circulated across television, digital and social media platforms.
According to Warring’s counsel, the comments went beyond political criticism and allegedly targeted Warring’s intelligence, competence, judgment and ability to perform his responsibilities as a political leader.
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Warring Says Remarks Crossed the Line
Warring, who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Ludhiana, has argued that the alleged statements were not criticism of any particular policy or political decision.
Instead, the notice describes them as personal remarks that allegedly sought to portray him as incapable of exercising the judgment expected from a public representative.
His counsel has maintained that while political leaders are open to criticism and disagreement, personal comments intended to ridicule or damage an individual’s reputation cross a different line.
Ex-DGP’s Status Adds Weight, Notice Claims
The notice also points to Mustafa’s background as a former senior police officer.
Mustafa is a 1985-batch IPS officer who retired as Punjab DGP (Human Rights) in 2021.
Warring’s counsel has argued that statements attributed to a former senior police official could carry greater credibility in the public eye, potentially amplifying their impact on the reputation of a political leader.
Demand for Public Apology
Through the notice, Warring has demanded that Mustafa immediately stop repeating, publishing or circulating the alleged defamatory remarks or any similar statements.
He has also sought an unconditional written and public apology from the retired IPS officer.
In addition, Warring has called upon the concerned news channel and media organisations to remove the interview content from their platforms.
However, the notice makes clear that removing the content would not, in Warring’s view, absolve Mustafa of responsibility for the original statements.
No Immediate Response From Mustafa
Mustafa is the husband of former Congress MLA Razia Sultana and has remained associated with Punjab Congress politics in recent years.
No immediate response from Mustafa to the legal notice was available at the time of reporting.
The dispute now places two prominent figures with backgrounds in Punjab public life on opposing sides of a legal confrontation, with Warring seeking both withdrawal of the alleged remarks and a public apology.
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