SC rejects Manish Sisodia’s plea against Assam CM Sarma

In a big setback for Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the Supreme Court today dismissed his plea seeking quashing of defamation proceedings against him by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Chiding DCM Sisodia the Supreme Court said, “You have to face the consequences for reducing discourse to this level. Without paying heed to what the country was facing, you make such statements”.
Sisodia has now withdrawn the plea, after the apex court’s disinclination to continue it. The court also said that the petitioner should have earlier apologised unconditionally.

Assam CM Sarma had filed a criminal defamation case against the AAP leader for making baseless corruption allegations against him in connection with the supply of PPE kits allegedly at higher than market rates to the national health mission authorities during the first wave of Covid pandemic. Sisodia alleged that as Assam’s health minister, Sarma had favoured the firm of his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, which he has denied. The court observed that instead of realising what the ciuntry was going through during the pandemic, the petitioner was making allegations.

In August this year, a Guwahati court had summoned Sisodia to appear on September 29th after CM Himanta Biswa Sarma lodged a criminal defamation case against him over allegations he made during a press conference linking Sarma’s wife in an alleged corruption case in the supply of PPE kits in 2020.
Contrary to the Delhi Deputy CM’s claim and allegations, CM Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma a leading businesswoman of the region, had donated PPE kits when the state and the nation was battling Covid. Ms Sarma who also runs social welfare organisations like Udayachal and Sneha Bandhan had received letters of appreciation from the National Health Mission for the timely donation of the kits. Her company, JCB Industries had donated around 1485 PPE kits.