Defamation Suit by Syed Faizul Haque over Gauri Lankesh remark

In 2018, Himanta Biswa Sarma, then a senior minister, made controversial remarks concerning the murder of prominent journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead in Bengaluru in 2017. Sarma's comments, made during a public statement, allegedly suggested a connection between Lankesh's murder and an unspecified 'mafia' or individuals associated with political opposition, without presenting substantiating evidence. These statements led Syed Faizul Haque to file a defamation suit against Sarma in a Lakhimpur court in Assam, arguing that the comments were baseless and damaging. Sarma subsequently filed a petition in the Guwahati High Court seeking to quash the defamation proceedings against him. However, the High Court dismissed his plea in 2021, ruling that the trial should continue. Sarma then challenged this decision in the Supreme Court of India, but in July 2023, the apex court also declined to quash the proceedings, thereby affirming that the defamation trial against him must proceed in the lower court. This development means Sarma will have to face trial for the alleged defamatory remarks.