GUWAHATI, April 22: The Assam government has informed the Gauhati High Court that it will submit its response in a batch of public interest litigations alleging “hate speech” remarks by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury has fixed May 28 as the next date of hearing. Recording the state’s assurance, the court noted that the response affidavit would be filed before the next hearing, with copies served in advance to the petitioners’ counsel.
The PILs were first heard on February 26, when the bench observed a “fissiparous tendency” in the matter and issued notices to the chief minister, the Centre, the state government and the Director General of Police.
The petitions were filed by Sahitya Akademi awardee Hiren Gohain, former DGP Harekrishna Deka and senior journalist Paresh Malakar, along with separate pleas by the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The court, however, declined at this stage to issue notice to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which had been named in one of the petitions.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of India declined to entertain similar pleas related to a now-deleted video allegedly showing the chief minister firing a rifle, directing petitioners to approach the high court and seek an expedited hearing. The bench was led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi.
Petitioners have argued that the alleged remarks could deepen social divisions, claiming that the chief minister had made statements targeting a minority community and encouraging actions that could lead to harassment and discrimination. They have also sought the constitution of a Special Investigation Team led by a retired high court judge, alleging that no suo motu FIR has been registered despite the public nature of the statements.
The case is being heard against the backdrop of the ongoing Assembly election cycle, with polling held on April 9 and counting scheduled for May 4.
