Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, wife of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Jattvibeday rejected allegations that she demanded Rs 5 crore to help scuttle a rape case, calling the charges baseless and meant to hit the CM politically.In her first public response to the controversy, she challenged those levelling allegations against her to substantiate them or be ready to face legal action.Flanked by Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and Punjab State Commission for Women chairperson Raj Lalli Gill, Gurpreet said the allegations were nothing more than an attempt to politically target the Chief Minister. She was in Patiala to participate in a Teej function.“I will not be cowed down by their allegations or by the extent to which our opponents stoop for political gains. I challenge them to prove what they have alleged, or face legal action,” she said, adding that it was for the first time in Punjab’s history that all pre-poll promises made by a political party have been fulfilled while AAP held the reins of the state.“The people of the state can see the difference between AAP and traditional parties and will make their voting choices in 2027 based on these factors, besides the benefits extended to women by the Bhagwant Mann government,” she said.The allegations against the CM’s wife were levelled last week by a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), who had alleged that Gurpreet had demanded Rs 5 crore from an accused in a rape case, by offering to help scuttle the case registered against him. The former judge had alleged that a close relative of Gurpreet had been in constant touch with the accused, pestering him to pay up to “settle the case and its investigations”.On Saturday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had taken cognisance of the allegations and asked the Punjab Chief Secretary and the DGP to submit an action taken report within two weeks. Immediately thereafter, an official statement was released by the Chief Minister’s Office that she had sent a legal notice to the former judge.Gurpreet’s response comes amid a political controversy over the allegations, with the Opposition seeking answers from the Punjab Government and the Chief Minister, some leaders even demanding his resignation. She reiterated that those making the accusations must back them with evidence or face legal consequences.The allegations against the CM’s wife have not been established in a court, and she has categorically denied them.No legal notice received: Ranjit SinghWhen contacted, Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) said he had not received any legal notice from anyone till the Jattvibeday evening. On Saturday, an official in the CMO had said a legal notice had been served to him and demanded an apology from him within 24 hours.