Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has filed a criminal defamation suit in a court in Assam’s Kamrup district against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia for accusing the former of malpractices while giving a contract for personal protective equipment (PPE) supply to his wife Riniki Sarma’s company.
Riniki Sarma also last month filed a defamation suit seeking ₹100 in damages from Sisodia in another court in Kamrup, which asked the deputy chief minister to appear before it on July 25.
Debajit Saikia, the chief minister’s lawyer, said his client filed the case over baseless allegations Sisodia made at a press conference in Delhi on June 4. He said Sisodia claimed the chief minister, who was then the state health minister, gave an urgent contract to his wife’s firm for the supply of PPE kits at rates higher than the market price. “Sisodia made the allegations without any proof… accused [Himanta Biswa] Sarma of corruption. This suit was filed late on Thursday refuting the allegations and seeking legal action…”
The court has fixed July 22 as the next date of hearing in the chief minister’s case.
Sisodia alleged Himanta Biswa Sarma gave urgent supply orders of PPE kits to the firm in which his wife and son were partners at the rate of ₹990 per piece. He said the state government bought those kits from other companies at ₹600 per piece.
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