The Gauhati High Court has issued notices in a set of public interest litigations that accuse Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of making remarks alleged to be inflammatory and targeted at certain communities.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar, along with Justice Arun Dev Choudhury, asked the Chief Minister, the Union Government, the State of Assam, and the Director General of Police to respond to the allegations raised in the petitions.
The PILs have been filed by several individuals, including noted academic Hiren Gohain, who claim that statements attributed to the Chief Minister qualify as hate speech. According to them, despite the circulation of video clips of these speeches, authorities have not initiated any police action or registered a First Information Report (FIR).
Counsel appearing for the petitioners argued that the alleged statements could undermine constitutional values such as equality and secularism. They further contended that such remarks, if left unchecked, may deepen social divisions and negatively impact public harmony.
At this stage, the High Court has not granted any interim relief. It declined to impose immediate restrictions on the Chief Minister’s public statements and instead decided to wait for responses from the respondents before proceeding further.
The petitions also call for an independent probe into the matter and seek a declaration that such remarks, if established, would be inconsistent with the constitutional responsibilities attached to a public office like that of a Chief Minister.
The matter is expected to be taken up again after the respondents submit their replies.
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