The Gauhati High Court today heard Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in which he has been accused of making allegedly objectionable statements against minority communities A bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury is hearing the matter The petitioners were represented by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi
During the hearing Abhishek Manu Singhvi stated that a notice had already been issued to the State Government and the Chief Minister but no response has been received so far Expressing displeasure over this the Chief Justice asked why no response had been provided
Abhishek Manu Singhvi further stated that even after the issuance of the notice the Chief Minister reiterated the controversial statements on April 17 and March 27 He remarked that these statements were so objectionable that they could not even be read aloud in court although a written note could be presented to the court He alleged that the Chief Minister employs terms such as Miyan language deemed inappropriate for an individual holding a constitutional office
The petitioners sought an interim order from the court to restrain the Chief Minister from making such announcements The court made strong observations regarding the State Governments failure to submit a response on the matter stating that at the very least a reply should have been filed The counsel for the State Government submitted that the Advocate General was occupied in another court a submission with which the Chief Justice expressed dissatisfaction
An order was issued to file an affidavit by the next scheduled date The petitioners were also granted permission to submit along with the affidavit a note pertaining to the alleged statements made by the Chief Minister Furthermore the Court has scheduled the next hearing of the case for May 28 The State Governments response and the submitted documents will now determine the future course of action in this matter
