Haldwani (Uttarakhand): A local court in Uttarakhand's Rudrapur has issued summons against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for alleged defamatory speech in 2022 against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party leader Sonia Gandhi, sources said on Monday. It is learnt that the summons were issued by the court of Udham Singh Nagar District and Sessions Judge, Rudrapur over a plea filed by state Congress president, Dr. Ganesh Upadhyay.
In his plea, Upadhyay alleged that the Assam CM during his speech in the run up to the 2022 Uttarakhand state assembly election, had made defamatory speech against Rahul Gandhi. While issuing summons to Sarma, the court directed the Assam Chief Minister to "appear before the court on September 21 to respond to the allegations".
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According to the complaint filed by the state Congress president, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while addressing a public meeting in Kichha during the Uttarakhand Assembly election campaign in the year 2022, made indecent remarks against former Congress National President Rahul Gandhi. Upadhyay said that Sarma had questioned Rahul Gandhi's lineage which were defamatory in nature.
Dr. Ganesh Upadhyay has already recorded his statement in the case. The complainant said that the Assam Chief Minister's speech amounted to “misuse of the provisions of the Information and Technology Act”. Additional Sessions Judge Udham Singh Nagar Meena Deupa has issued summons and sent a notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to appear in the court on 21 Sept.
Pertinently, during his election speech under question, Sarma had said, "Under General Bipin Rawat's leadership, who was the pride of Uttarakhand and the nation as well, India conducted a surgical strike in Pakistan. Rahul Gandhi then asked for proof. Have we ever sought proof of which father's son you are? What right do you have to ask for proof from the armed forces?"
