Photo Courtesy: northeasttoday
Guwahati: A Delhi sessions court has issued a notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Delhi Police following a plea from activist Harsh Mander. The case centers on a request to register an FIR against the BJP leader for allegedly provocative comments made during a public speech in Digboi, Assam, on January 27.
During the event, Sarma reportedly discussed the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The petition alleges that the Chief Minister suggested removing four to five lakh Miya voters from the list. Furthermore, the complaint claims Sarma encouraged people to cause trouble for the community to force their departure from Assam and stated that efforts were underway to prevent them from voting.
Additional Sessions Judge Sonu Agnihotri issued the notice after Mander challenged an earlier ruling by a magistrate court that had dismissed his initial request. The magistrate court had cited a lack of territorial jurisdiction and insufficient evidence of disharmony within Delhi to justify its refusal.
In his revision petition, Mander argued that the lower court erred in its jurisdictional assessment. His legal counsel invoked the principle of Zero FIR, asserting that reports of cognizable offenses can be filed at any police station regardless of where the incident occurred. The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 15.
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