Chouhan sends defamation notice to Sonia, state Cong chief

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife Sadhna Singh have sent a defamation notice to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party state unit chief, demanding Rs 10 crore in damages, over an advertisement issued by Congress targeting his family.

The notice, sent last night, said that advertisement -- published in newspapers and on the Internet -- spoke about Chouhans having "a currency counting machine" at their house and the chief minister giving contracts to his in-laws.

Advocate Shashank Shekhar, who sent the notice on Chouhans' behalf, said the advertisement, which made false allegations, was meant to harm the goodwill and the reputation of his clients and to cause "mental trauma and harassment".

The notice, also sent to state Congress president Kantilal Bhuria, demanded that they withdraw the charges through another advertisement in the same newspapers and on Internet within a fortnight. If they did not do so, a Rs 10-crore defamation case will be filed against them, the notice stated.