Punjabi media personality Maninder Gill says he intends to fight a defamation lawsuit launched by the Surrey man that he allegedly shot last fall outside a Sikh temple, although he has not responded in court to the allegations.

Harjit Atwal, Jaspal Atwal and Harkirat Kular won a judgment against Mr. Gill and five others last week after Mr. Gill and others failed to show up or file any documents to defend themselves against allegations of defamation arising from broadcasts on Radio India, a Punjabi-language radio station based in Surrey, B.C..

However Mr. Gill's lawyer Amandeep Singh said the so-called default judgment would be challenged in court later this week.

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"[Mr. Gill]is going to fight this with full force . . .he has a valid defence," Mr. Singh said in an interview.

Mr. Gill said his lawyer was unaware that the lawsuit had gone to court, adding that the allegations in the lawsuit were "totally false."

The default judgment in the defamation lawsuit is the latest twist in an on-going dispute that turned violent last August outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple.

Harjit Atwal was shot in the leg outside the temple, while attending a wedding. Mr. Gill was charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, pointing a firearm, two counts of discharging a firearm with intent and possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes. A date has not yet been set for the trial.

The defamation lawsuit had been filed in court a few weeks before the shooting. The lawsuit was against Mr. Gill, the radio station and 10 employees and people associated with the broadcasts.

A default judgment against the radio station and some employees was obtained in November. The second default judgment issued this month covers all but one of the employees. That employee - Sukhminder Singh Cheema - responded to the allegations and the case against him is proceeding in court.

On Monday, Harjit Atwal claimed the default judgment as a victory, even if it is short lived.

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"The media has to take some responsibility for what they say," Mr. Atwal said. "You cannot just go to the media and say anything against other people," he said.