Defamation row: Reflect on inappropriate remarks, Singhvi says; don’t need lessons on decency, replies Himanta Sarma

GUWAHATI/NEW DELHI: Soon after Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to Congress spokesman Pawan Khera in a defamation case, a slugfest broke out between Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Himanta Sarma, with the former asking him to reflect on his “deeply inappropriate” statements.

Khera was granted relief in a forgery and criminal case lodged by Assam Police on a complaint by Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.





Hitting back at Singhvi, Sarma said on X, “I don’t need lessons on democracy, public discourse or decency from anyone, especially from AM Singhvi. Decency and him can never be in the same room.” He said the issue concerned “a woman who has nothing to do with politics” whose character was maligned on national television using forged foreign documents. “I am confident the courts will take note of this, sooner or later, and the guilty will be punished for his brazen act of maligning a woman’s character,” he said.

Hailing SC’s decision, Singhvi said law stands above all and asked Sarma to reconsider whether it was befitting of a person in constitutional office to use “deeply inappropriate” language against him. SC had also cited this in its judgment, he said, urging Sarma to express regret.

Some statements recorded were unfit for repetition, he said, adding such language undermines democratic values. Singhvi said the court had taken note of the remarks and that the solicitor general also did not justify them.
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