New York, NY—US based advocacy group Sikhs for Justice, has blamed the Congress party for attempting to manipulate and delay the Genocide Trial before a US court by filing motions on ‘baseless’ grounds.
According to the group, Congress had no defense on the merits against the charges of planning and carrying out attacks on Sikhs during 1984, so it was trying to delay or suspend the trial.
“Following unsuccessful attempt to challenge the jurisdiction of the US Federal Court to hear the Sikh genocide case, the Congress now seeks dismissal of the claims filed by victims of November 1984 based on the lapse of 25 years,” said a spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice.
Notably, the May 29th motion by the Congress party states that killing of Sikhs took in November 1984 and the victims filed the case in March 2011 when the statute of limitations has already expired.
“Plaintiffs’ claims are time-barred because they complain about alleged activities that occurred more than twenty-five years ago; all statutes of limitations have long expired,” said attorney Geoffrey Stewart of the law firm Jones Day, which is defending the Congress in the case.
The party has been accused by the Sikh group of conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out attacks on the community in November 1984 following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards after Gandhi ordered Indian troops to desecrate Darbar Sahib.
Judge Robert Sweet, presiding over the matter, said the Congress’ motion to dismiss SFJ’s complaint or to get a stay would be heard on June 27.
Meanwhile, SFJ said Congress Member of Parliament Motilal Vora submitted an affidavit in the US Court in support of the motion to dismiss the complaint filed by victims.
Vora’s affidavit states that “no summons and complaint from the New York Litigation was delivered to the Indian National Congress Party in accordance with the Hague Service Convention”.
The affidavit further states that city-based Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) is not a subsidiary or affiliate of the Indian National Congress Party of India.
