A Delhi court has issued a notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on a plea seeking registration of an FIR over his alleged remarks concerning “Miya Muslims”, bringing the matter back under judicial scrutiny.
Additional Sessions Judge Sonu Agnihotri issued the notice while hearing a revision petition filed by activist Harsh Mander. The petition challenges an earlier order passed by a magistrate court on April 20, which had declined to direct the police to register an FIR against the Assam Chief Minister.
The case relates to remarks allegedly made by Sarma during a public event held in Digboi in Assam’s Tinsukia district on January 27. According to the petition, the Chief Minister had spoken about the removal of “four to five lakh Miya voters” during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Mander’s plea further alleged that Sarma made statements suggesting that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam” and that “we are ensuring that they cannot vote in Assam”. The petitioner described the remarks as provocative and sought legal action through the registration of an FIR.
During the hearing, counsel appearing for Mander argued that the magistrate court had incorrectly dismissed the complaint on the ground of territorial jurisdiction. The counsel submitted that the principle of a “Zero FIR” allows information relating to a cognisable offence to be lodged at any police station, irrespective of the location where the alleged offence took place.
The revision petition contends that the lower court should have considered this legal position while examining the complaint and deciding whether police action was warranted.
After hearing the submissions, the sessions court issued notices to the respondents and sought their response in the matter. The court did not make any observations on the merits of the allegations at this stage.
The development marks the latest legal proceeding arising from the controversy surrounding the alleged remarks and raises questions regarding the scope of territorial jurisdiction and the applicability of Zero FIR provisions in such cases.
The matter is scheduled to come up for further hearing on July 15, 2026, when the court is expected to consider the responses of the parties before deciding the next course of action.
