'Why haven't you gone to the Gauhati HC?': SC refuses to hear pleas against Assam CM Himanta; flags ‘disturbing trend’

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain petitions seeking the registration of an FIR and the constitution of an SIT probe against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma over his ‘target-shooting’ video, and asked the petitioners to approach the Gauhati high court.The apex court questioned why the petitioners had not moved the Gauhati High Court and said its authority should not be “undermined.” A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vikul Pancholi said it would ask parties to exercise restraint and remain within the boundaries of constitutional morality. The bench also observed that filing petitions before elections is “becoming a trend.”“This is a disturbing trend that every matter ends up here. We have already deprived HCs of environmental and commercial litigations,” the bench said.The development comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party Assam unit posted a video on X showing Sarma purportedly aiming a rifle at two people, one wearing a skullcap and another with a beard. The video was later deleted following backlash.