While serving the chargesheet to the Badals, the court adjourned the case for April 9 and 10.

Special Judge G S Saran also directed the prosecution witness to appear before it for recording of evidences on the next date of hearings.

Badal, his wife Surinder Kaur and their son Sukhbir, who is also MP from Faridkot, signed the chargesheet before the judge and pleaded not guilty in the case.

Another alleged accused in the case Gurinder Singh Grewal was also served the chargesheet.

Justice Saran had on March nine directed that the charges under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC be framed against Badal, his wife and their son and seven others in the case.

At the last hearing, the chargesheet in the case was served on Naratom Singh Dhillon, Nirpjit Singh, Pavittar Singh, Darshan Singh, Harbans Lal and Jagnandan Singh.

As Badal and his family members were not present in the court at the last hearing they were directed to appear before the special court today.

Talking to reporters outside the court, Badal described the case against him and his family members as "false and politically motivated".

He alleged that the case was "foisted" on him by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

"My Government will honour all judicial orders and verdicts and uphold the majesty of law," he said.

Rejecting the opposition Congress' demand that he should resign in the wake of the framing of charges against hime, Badal said, "Either legally and morally there is no ground made out for my resignation."

"I shall continue to serve the state with utmost dedication and humility and try to prove worthy of great trust and confidence reposed by people on the coalition," the chief minister said.

A case of cheating and forgery was registered against the Badals and the others by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on June 24, 2003.

Badal and others were charged with amassing properties of Rs 3,500 crore, of which Rs 78 crore was disproportionate to their known sources of income, during the tenure of the previous SAD-BJP government.

The chargesheet in the case was presented by police in the court on November 2003 and Badal and his son had lodged in jail from December 1 to December 9, 2003.

They had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court in January 2004 on the plea that the Rupnagar court had no jurisdiction in the matter and the prosecution sanction was not taken from a competent authority.

It dismissed their plea in April 2004 following which the Badals moved the Supreme Court in July 2004.

However, the Supreme Court granted sanction to the local court to hold the trial.