Sarma seeks ₹500 crore in defamation case against Congress

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he has approached the court and filed a defamation case against Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, and Gaurav Gogoi, seeking ₹500 crore in damages. He accused the leaders of making false, malicious, and defamatory allegations against him during a press conference.

The case comes days after the Assam Congress launched a website titled “Who Is HBS” along with a pamphlet accusing Sarma of corruption, misuse of power, and disrespect toward cultural icons. The website invited the public to share information about Sarma’s alleged assets but went temporarily offline shortly after its launch.

Gaurav Gogoi claimed that the campaign aimed to gather public input on alleged corruption involving Sarma and his family. Gogoi alleged that Sarma and his family own around 12,000 bighas of land and that authorities manipulated rules to convert agricultural land into industrial land. He said that if Congress comes to power, the party will investigate these land acquisitions and redistribute the land to the poor and landless if it finds any wrongdoing.

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Congress leaders repeat land and asset allegations

Bhupesh Baghel and Jitendra Singh also raised similar allegations, claiming that Sarma’s family owned large land holdings and multiple companies. They alleged that irregularities related to these assets dated back to before Sarma joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2015. The Congress leaders accused Sarma of amassing wealth through questionable means and demanded accountability.

Sarma strongly rejected the allegations and called them false and malicious. He said his political opponents made these accusations for political reasons and announced that he will initiate both civil and criminal defamation proceedings. He challenged his critics to prove their claims in court and said the era of making baseless allegations without consequences is over. Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia confirmed that the defamation case has been initiated at the Kamrup district civil court and is in the final stage of filing.

Saikia also said that Sarma has filed a case against a Guwahati-based newspaper for publishing reports related to the Congress press conference. Meanwhile, the Assam Congress lodged a separate complaint accusing the BJP of sharing provocative and communal content on social media and alleged that the posts could create social disharmony. Congress leaders and party workers staged protests in Guwahati, raised slogans against Sarma and his wife over alleged corruption, and questioned his statements about his family’s assets and landholdings.

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