By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged the Gauhati High Court to direct the petitioners in a hate speech-related PIL to furnish original documents and complete unedited transcripts of the speeches and interviews cited against him before he files a detailed response in the matter.
In an affidavit-in-opposition filed in PIL No. 14/2026, Sarma questioned the authenticity and completeness of the materials submitted by the petitioners, alleging that only photocopies of newspaper reports containing “one or two isolated lines” had been annexed before the court.
“Extracting selective portions or isolated lines from an interview is capable of distorting the true meaning,” the affidavit stated, while contending that the reports carried editorial interpretations intended to malign him.
The Chief Minister submitted that without complete transcripts or original recordings, neither he nor the court could properly examine the allegations. He requested the court to direct the petitioners to provide the original documents and full transcripts both to the court and to him to enable the filing of a comprehensive reply.
The PIL was filed by noted intellectual Hiren Gohain, writer and former DGP Harekrishna Deka, and activist Paresh Malakar seeking a court-monitored inquiry into alleged communal statements and a video purportedly shared on the official BJP Assam social media handle on February 7, 2026.
According to the petitioners, the video allegedly targeted the Miya (Bengal-origin Muslim) community with phrases such as “Point blank shot”, “No Mercy”, “Foreigner free Assam”, and “No forgiveness to Bangladeshis”.
Sarma also informed the court that multiple FIRs had already been registered over the same allegations. One such case, Dispur Police Station Case No. 76/2026, was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and is currently under investigation.
The affidavit further stated that another complaint lodged by the Assam Civil Society was previously examined by Latasil Police Station and later closed after police reportedly found no cognizable offence.
Citing the recent Supreme Court judgment in Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay vs. Union of India, the Chief Minister argued that existing criminal laws were sufficient to deal with alleged hate speech cases and that judicial intervention was unnecessary while a police investigation was already underway.
He has prayed before the court that the PIL be dismissed at the admission stage in view of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar on Tuesday recorded that the respondents’ reply affidavit had been filed before the court.
“The reply affidavit on behalf of the respondents has been filed today in Court,” the order stated.
The petitioners sought time to file a rejoinder, following which the court directed that all connected matters be listed again on August 6, 2026.
The bench also observed that “an effort shall be made to provide the full transcript of the speeches, which have been quoted in the petition, for the convenience of the Court.”