₹500 Crore Fine? Congress Leaders Face Court Over Assam CM Allegations

Guwahati: Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia on Thursday addressed a press conference in Guwahati, responding to allegations made by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and outlining the legal proceedings initiated in connection with the matter.

Saikia said the Congress leaders had made allegations against the Chief Minister at a press conference on February 4, following which two reports were published in a leading Assamese daily on February 5. He said the Chief Minister was aggrieved by the reports, which he claimed were based on unsubstantiated allegations without documentary proof.

According to the Advocate General, legal proceedings have been initiated against Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Jitendra Singh and Bhupesh Baghel. He clarified that Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia has not been named in the case as he did not make any defamatory remarks against the Chief Minister.

Saikia said the Chief Minister had disclosed all his assets to the Election Commission while contesting the Assam Assembly elections and that all his properties are reflected in his income tax filings. He said allegations that the Chief Minister owns around 12,000 bighas of land and is linked to scams such as the Louis Berger, Saradha and North Cachar Hills cases were denied, and the Congress leaders have been challenged to produce documentary evidence.

He accused the Congress of attempting to mislead the public for political gain and said the newspaper concerned had also been asked to establish the authenticity of the published reports.

Court Proceedings and Injunction Petition

Saikia said the matter is being heard by the Kamrup (Metro) District Civil Court, where Civil Judge (Senior Division) No.1 Nayan Jyoti Sarma is presiding over Misc (J) Case No. 156/2026 arising out of Title Suit No. 85/2026.

The Advocate General said the suit has been filed by the Chief Minister seeking damages for defamation and an injunction restraining the defendants from publishing or disseminating further defamatory content. The defendants include the three Congress leaders and representatives of the Assamese daily, including its proprietor and editor Jayanta Baruah, the printer and publisher, and a staff reporter.

The court, in its order dated February 11, registered the injunction petition filed under Order 39 Rules 1 and 2 read with Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The petition seeks restrictions on further publication of the disputed reports that alleged large-scale land acquisition and corruption against the Chief Minister and his family.

The court noted that the reports were based on remarks made by the Congress leaders during their February 4 press conference and that the plaintiff has alleged the statements were defamatory, derogatory and published without giving him an opportunity to respond.

The Advocate General said the court has issued summons to the Congress leaders and the newspaper representatives and directed them to appear on March 9. He said failure to substantiate the allegations could attract a penalty of ₹500 crore.

He also said the Chief Minister is expected to file another criminal complaint in connection with the matter on Friday.

Observations on Free Speech and Reputation

Saikia also referred to Supreme Court rulings on the balance between freedom of speech and the right to reputation, citing judgments in Bloomberg Television Production Services India Pvt Ltd vs Zee Entertainment, Express Newspapers vs Union of India, Umesh Kumar vs State of Andhra Pradesh, and Subramanian Swamy vs Union of India. He said the courts have held that while freedom of expression is fundamental, it is subject to reasonable restrictions and cannot be used to damage an individual’s reputation without basis.

Also Read: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Files ₹500 Crore Defamation Case Against Congress Leaders