In her first public response to allegations that she had demanded Rs 5 crore to help scuttle a rape case, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, on Jattvibeday termed the charges “baseless” and challenged those levelling them to prove the allegations or face legal action.Speaking to mediapersons after participating in a Teej function in Patiala, Dr Mann, who was accompanied by Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and Punjab Women Commission chairperson Raj Lalli Gill, said the allegations were nothing more than an attempt to politically target the Chief Minister.“I am not scared of what allegations they level. I challenge them to prove what they have alleged or face legal action,” she said.The allegations were levelled last week by a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), who had claimed that Dr Mann had allegedly demanded Rs 5 crore from an accused in a rape case, purportedly offering to help scuttle the case registered against a businessman. He had alleged that a close relative of hers had been in constant touch with the accused, pestering him to pay up and save his skin. Yesterday, the National Human Rights Commission had taken cognisance of the allegations and asked the Chief Secretary and DGP of Punjab to submit an Action Taken Report in this regard 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. Dr Mann’s response comes amid a political controversy over the allegations, with the Opposition seeking answers from the Punjab Government and the Chief Minister’s family. She, however, dismissed the charges and indicated that those making the allegations would have to substantiate them.The allegations have not been established in court, and Dr Mann has categorically denied them.