Guwahati court bars Congress leaders from remarks against Assam CM in Rs 500 crore defamation case

Guwahati: A civil court in Guwahati on Wednesday restrained Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Bhupesh Baghel and Jitendra Singh from making any “defamatory statements” against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma until they appear before the court in person, in connection with a Rs 500 crore defamation suit.

After hearing the submissions of the petitioner’s counsel, Civil Judge (Senior Division) No. 1, Nayanjyoti Sarma, passed an ad-interim injunction, also extending the restraint to a prominent Assamese daily.

The court directed that the defendants shall not “make, publish, circulate or disseminate any further defamatory statements or materials concerning the petitioner” until their appearance.

In the order, the judge observed that failure to grant an ad-interim injunction could defeat the ends of justice and may lead to a multiplicity of proceedings.

The court has fixed March 9 as the date for the personal appearance of the defendants.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had moved the court seeking Rs 500 crore in damages, alleging that senior Congress leaders had made false and defamatory remarks against him during a media interaction.

The legal action followed a Congress press conference held on February 4, where the opposition raised allegations of illegal land ownership and corruption in multiple government departments.

The party also questioned the timing of Sarma’s recent comments linking Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi to Pakistan.

During the briefing, the Congress unveiled a poster and a video titled “Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?”.

Addressing reporters, Gogoi alleged that the Chief Minister and his family had accumulated large parcels of land over the years, claiming that nearly 12,000 bighas were registered in their names.

He further announced plans to launch a public portal to collect information from citizens on the alleged land holdings.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, said the party had prepared a “chargesheet” against the Chief Minister, alleging corruption in the Public Works Department and claiming that inflated tenders were being issued ahead of elections.

Congress Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh Alwar accused Sarma of betraying public trust and the interests of various communities, a criticism echoed by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

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