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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday filed a criminal defamation case against All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Manoj Chauhan, who is also the party's co-incharge of the state.
The case has been registered in the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Kamrup Metro, Guwahati. This follows Chauhan's allegations during a press conference on February 11, where he claimed that CM Sarma had invested money in shopping malls and hotel businesses in Dubai and Singapore. In response, Sarma has filed a criminal defamation case against the Congress leader. After reviewing Sarma's petition, the court registered the case and issued a pre-cognisance notice to Chauhan. The court has also summoned him to appear on March 17. Meanwhile, Sarma has decided to file a civil defamation suit against Chauhan as well. Earlier today, intensifying his attack over allegations regarding links between Elizabeth Gogoi, wife of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, and Pakistan's ISI, Sarma claimed there was "definite information" that she visited Pakistan even after her marriage. He added that a decision on forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter would be taken in the upcoming state cabinet meeting. Sarma stated that a regular case should be filed to investigate the alleged person's passport and visa history, and that the entire "ecosystem, including sympathisers," would be scrutinized. Gaurav Gogoi has been at the center of controversy after BJP leaders, led by Sarma, questioned his wife's "foreign citizenship" and accused her of having ties with the ISI. In response, Gogoi stated that he would take legal action against the BJP, calling the allegations "malicious and baseless," and dismissed claims of any links between his wife and the Pakistani government or George Soros's Open Society, which were alleged to have compromised national interests.(ANI)
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