Guwahati, Feb 12: Senior Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Bhupesh Baghel and Jitendra Singh have been directed to appear before the court here on March 9 in connection with a Rs 500 crore defamation suit filed by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Sharing the development, Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia said the chief minister had challenged the three leaders to substantiate their allegations against him of illegal ownership of 12000 bighas of land, and sought damages of Rs 500 crore if they failed to provide evidence in court.
The court has also restrained the three senior Congress leaders from making any further “defamatory statements” against the chief minister till their appearance before the court on March 9.
The order was passed by Civil Judge (Senior Division) No. 1, Justice Nayanjyoti Sarma, who granted an ad-interim injunction after hearing the petitioner’s counsel.
Earlier, the chief minister had initiated defamation proceedings against the Congress leaders, accusing them of making “false, malicious and defamatory” allegations against him during a media conference.
The allegations were reported in a news publication on February 5, accusing the chief minister of possessing illegal land.
“After reviewing and verifying the documents placed on record, Justice Nayan Jyoti Sarma granted an ad interim stay order in favour of the chief minister,” Saikia said.
“Notices have also been served to the proprietor of the newspaper that carried the report, along with the publisher and the staff reporter concerned. They too have been directed to appear before the court on March 9 and present evidence supporting the published allegations,” the Advocate General said.
