Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday filed a criminal defamation case against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia before the CJM court, Kamrup (Rural). In a press conference held in Delhi last month, the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister had alleged that while Himanta Sarma was the Health Minister of Assam in 2020 he had awarded a contract for PPE kits to a company linked to his wife and son to supply PPE kits above market rates during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Devajit Lon Saikia, Senior Advocate for Sarma said that all the allegations levelled by Manish Sisodia are false. "Their company which produced PPE kits never raised any bill. At the time, the National Health Mission had requested all in the PPE business to supply kits, and they supplied about 1500 PPE kits as part of their CSR," he said, adding that there was no financial transaction recorded.
Devajit Lon Saikia further informed that if Manish Sisodia's offences are proved, the penalty would be two years imprisonment with a fine. The CJM court has fixed July 22 as the date of the initial deposition of the complainant. (With Agency inputs)
