The Gauhati High Court has issued a notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma following petitions accusing him of repeatedly targeting a specific community. The court, led by Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury, has requested responses from Sarma, as well as the Central and Assam governments. The notice was acknowledged on behalf of the Union and Assam governments, with a formal notice directed to Chief Minister Sarma. The case is set to be discussed further in April.
During the proceedings, the Bench expressed concerns over statements attributed to Sarma, indicating a divisive trend. The Chief Justice highlighted that the court would scrutinize the explanations provided by the respondents. Senior Advocate C.U. Singh, representing some petitioners, alleged that Sarma engaged in what he termed as “dog whistling” by making comments implying restrictions on “Miya” Muslims’ voting rights in Assam.
The petitions pertain to various public statements and actions linked to Chief Minister Sarma. In a speech delivered on January 27, Sarma reportedly mentioned the removal of “Miya” voters from electoral rolls, stating opposition towards Miyas. The term “Miya” is considered derogatory when referring to Muslims in Assam. The petitions also mention a video shared by the BJP’s Assam unit on February 7, allegedly showing Sarma shooting at animated images of two Muslim men.
Earlier, the Supreme Court redirected the matter to the High Court, declining to intervene. Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, C.U. Singh, and Meenakshi Arora represented the petitioners.
