Gaurav Gogoi says Assam CM fell silent after contempt charge over SC attribution

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on January 31 launched a sharp attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of committing contempt of the Supreme Court by falsely attributing to the apex court language that did not originate from its judicial pronouncement. 

Gogoi said the Chief Minister has “gone quiet” ever since the issue of contempt was raised publicly, even as other BJP leaders continue to rely on what he described as “rhetoric and screenshots,” risking contempt themselves.

In a strongly worded statement, Gogoi clarified a key legal principle, asserting that when a court merely cites or refers to a report relied upon by one of the parties, it does not convert the language of that report into the court’s own words. 
“Attributing such language to the Hon’ble Supreme Court is a clear case of contempt,” Gogoi said, alleging that the distinction was being deliberately blurred to create a misleading public narrative.

The Congress leader stressed that misrepresenting the Supreme Court’s observations is not a minor political lapse but a serious institutional offence, particularly when done by constitutional authorities. He argued that invoking the authority of the apex court to justify political statements corrodes public trust in the judiciary and undermines constitutional norms.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on January 30, criticised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his “Miya Muslims” remarks, accusing him of misusing the name of the Supreme Court to justify his statements.

In a post on social media platform X, Gogoi said that dishonesty and shamelessness defined Sarma’s politics, alleging that the chief minister had stooped to falsely attributing words to the apex court. He said Sarma claimed to rely on the Supreme Court’s “own words” from the Sarbananda Sonowal case, calling the assertion a “blatant lie”.

According to Gogoi, the language quoted by the Assam chief minister was neither authored nor adopted by the Supreme Court. “To pass off an executive report as a judicial pronouncement is a deliberate act of contempt,” he said.

The BJP and the Assam Chief Minister’s Office have not issued a formal response to the contempt allegation so far.