Bhopal, July 4 (IANS) The controversy over the alleged allotment of government property to the Veer Bharat Nyas took a legal turn on Saturday after the trust’s Secretary, Shriram Tiwari, served a Rs 5 crore defamation notice on Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari over his allegations of irregularities involving the trust.

The notice asks Patwari to issue a public apology within three days for his statements or face defamation proceedings.

Tiwari has demanded that the apology be made in the same manner in which the allegations were levelled.

The notice follows Patwari’s press conference in New Delhi last week, where he alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government had leased government land and a building in Ujjain, valued at around Rs 500 crore, to the Veer Bharat Nyas for a token amount of Re 1.

He also questioned the role of Tiwari, who serves as Cultural Adviser to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and alleged that the trust had been extended benefits in violation of rules.

Addressing a press conference in Bhopal on Saturday, Tiwari’s counsel, advocate Harish Mehta, said the allegations were false and had damaged his client’s reputation.

“Despite knowing the facts, Jitu Patwari made false allegations against Shriram Tiwari and the Veer Bharat Nyas. He has been asked to publicly withdraw those statements and apologise within three days. If he apologises, no further legal action will be taken,” Mehta said.

Patwari had alleged that valuable government property had been leased to the trust for Re 1 and sought an explanation from the BJP government over the decision.

Rejecting the allegations, Mehta said that the Veer Bharat Nyas is a registered public trust and that all its activities are carried out in accordance with the law.

“The trust works for cultural and social causes by bringing together people from different sections of society. The allegations have unnecessarily tarnished my client’s public image, forcing him to seek legal recourse,” he said.

Supreme Court advocate Gunjan Chouksey, who also attended the press conference, said that the Veer Bharat Nyas was constituted in 2012 as a registered public trust and is not a private organisation.

She added that if the Rs 5 crore claimed through the defamation notice is awarded, Tiwari intends to donate the amount to a non-governmental organisation.

–IANS

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