Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has dismissed a plea by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia praying to quash a criminal defamation case filed against him by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma over purported graft charges levelled against Sarma.
Sisodia has been summoned on November 19 by Kamrup (M) CJM’s court in Guwahati Assam to appear for a hearing in the case filed by CM Sarma.
Dismissing the petition, Justice Kalyan Rai Surana in his order said that Sisodia was not able to make out any case for quashing the proceedings pending before the CJM of Kamrup (Metropolitan).
“Thus, this petition fails and the same is dismissed,” the order said.
The Sisodia in June alleged that the Assam Chief Minister awarded a contract for COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to a company linked to his wife and overpaid for the gear.
“Himanta Biswa Sarma awarded the contract to his wife’s company. He paid ? 990 for the PPE kits while others were purchased at ? 600 apiece from another company on the same day. This is a huge crime,” Sisodia had alleged.
After denying the allegation, Sarma filed a criminal defamation case against Sisodia with the court of chief judicial magistrate in Kamrup district.
“According to Manish Sisodia, Himanta Biswa Sarma was involved in corrupt practices in supplying PPE kits in March 2020 amid COVID-19. Manish Sisodia told the media that Himanta Biswa Sarma was instrumental in giving supply order to his wife’s company, JCB Industries, for the supply of about 1,500 PPE kits,” Assam Advocate General Devajit Lon Saikia told reporters in Guwahati on Monday.
The allegations by Sisodia were based on an investigative report published on the news website The Wire.