Guwahati, Feb 12: A Guwahati court has issued an ad-interim injunction restraining Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Bhupesh Baghel, and Jitendra Singh, along with a prominent Assamese daily, from making further “defamatory statements” against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Civil Judge (Senior Division) No. 1, Nayanjyoti Sarma, passed the order on Wednesday in response to a Rs 500 crore defamation suit filed by the Chief Minister. The injunction bars the defendants from “making, publishing, circulating, or disseminating any further defamatory statements or materials concerning the petitioner till their appearance in court.” The defendants are scheduled to appear on March 9.

Advocate General Devajit Saikia, addressing the media on Thursday, stated that Sarma has disclosed all properties and assets in election affidavits since 2001, annual ministerial declarations, and income tax returns as a regular assessee for over 30 years. He dismissed allegations of 12,000 bigha of land under Sarma’s control as “imaginary” and rejected claims of an “HBS Tax,” calling them baseless political attempts ahead of state elections.

The CM’s petition seeks Rs 500 crore in damages if the leaders fail to substantiate their claims. The court granted the stay after reviewing the documents submitted by the petitioner.