US court grants rights group to investigate Sonia Gandhi‘s presence in New York in September last year 

 

JALANDHAR: After Sonia Gandhi’s signed declaration – submitted on January 13 to a US Court – that she was not in New York or US from September 3 to September 9 last year, seeking to dismiss a rights violation case filed against her, a Brooklyn court has granted complainant Sikhs For Justice’s (SFJ) request for further investigation.

SFJ has been given till February 6 to investigate and file its opposition to Sonia Gandhi’s motion. SFJ had filed the case against her in September last year for allegedly protecting the perpetrators of 1984 Sikh riots case.

The new declaration purportedly signed by Sonia Gandhi on January 10 claims that she has “not been in New York or in the United States during the period of September 3, 2013 to September 09, 2013″. The previous declaration of Sonia Gandhi, which she signed on December 28, 2013 and which was submitted to the court in the beginning of this month claimed that she was not in US from September 2 to September 09, 2013.

Rights group SFJ in its January 23 request to Judge Brian M Cogan had stated “since the defendant’s claim of absence from the United States at the time when the plaintiffs served the defendant is critical and pivotal to maintaining this action, an extension of time is necessary to enable the plaintiffs to undertake investigation including filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request under 5 USC with the US Customs and Border Protection, a Bureau of the Department of Homeland Security which maintains records for entry and exit from the United States for all individuals”.

In her declaration Congress president has claimed “the summons and complaint in this matter were never delivered to her whether in person or by mail, by the plaintiffs, by any process server, by any personnel of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre or by any member of any security detail”.

However SFJ Legal Advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said that the plaintiffs would request the US Federal Court to court to depose Congress President regarding her presence in the United States in September 2013.

Earlier SFJ had claimed that pursuant to US Court orders, on September 9, 2013, plaintiffs served the Summons and Complaint on the hospital and security staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York where Sonia Gandhi was believed to be undergoing medical treatment.

In the case against her SFJ and two survivors of massacre have sought a jury trial, compensatory and punitive damages against Congress party President for her role in shielding and protecting Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler Amitabh Bachchan and other Congress party leaders from being prosecuted for their role in leading death squads that killed thousands of Sikhs.

Newspapers Coverage:

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-25/chandigarh/46600322_1_summons-and-complaint-judge-brian-m-cogan-sfj

http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/chandigarh/sikh-group-wants-sonia-to-depose-before-us-court/article1-1176572.aspx

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/US-Sikh-Group-Gets-Time-to-Probe-Sonias-Presence/2014/01/26/article2020154.ece

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/sikh-rights-group-wants-sonia-gandhi-to-depose-before-us-court-475352

http://www.firstpost.com/india/sikh-rights-group-wants-sonia-gandhi-to-depose-before-us-federal-court-1359265.html

http://www.samachar.com/sikh-rights-group-wants-sonia-gandhi-to-depose-before-us-court-obzoLnjdacf.html

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-01-25/news/46601340_1_sfj-human-rights-violation-lawsuit-sikh-rights-group

http://www.business-standard.com/article/international/sikh-rights-group-wants-sonia-gandhi-to-depose-before-us-court-114012500276_1.html

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/sikh-rights-group-wants-sonia-gandhi-to-depose-before-us-court_906759.html

http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-sikh-rights-group-wants-sonia-gandhi-to-depose-before-us-court-1956876

http://www.thestatesman.net/news/36268-sikh-rights-group-wants-sonia-to-depose-before-us-court.html

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