Congress leader and former Atam Nagar MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains on Tuesday said he would challenge the one-year jail sentence awarded to him in a defamation case filed by senior Congress leader and former Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra, asserting that the legal battle was far from over.Addressing a press conference, Bains said he was not satisfied with the verdict and would approach the Sessions Court and, subsequently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court to challenge the decision. He maintained that he had been raising his voice against corruption and anti-social activities in Punjab and would continue to do so.The Patiala court sentenced Bains to one year of imprisonment in the eight-year-old criminal defamation case. The case dates back to 2018, when Bains, who then headed the Lok Insaaf Party, levelled allegations against Mohindra, who was the then-Punjab Health Minister, over alleged irregularities involving medicines and drug de-addiction centres.Mohindra had filed a defamation complaint, claiming that the allegations had harmed his reputation. The court proceedings continued for several years, with Bains stating that 297 hearings had taken place before the verdict was delivered.Referring to the political circumstances surrounding the case, Bains said the two leaders, who belonged to different political camps when the complaint was filed, were now associated with the Congress. He maintained that his statements at the time were made while raising issues concerning Punjab.Bains also referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a criminal defamation case by a Surat court in 2023, in which he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. He said he believed in the right to freedom of speech and would continue to raise issues in the public interest.Bains said the sentence would not deter him from pursuing the matter legally and that he would present his arguments before the higher courts. The case will now proceed further if he files an appeal against the verdict.