US court dismisses lawsuit against PM Modi, Shah

New Delhi, December 15

The banned “Sikhs For Justice” suffered a setback after a US court dismissed a $100-million lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Earlier this week, a big question mark was put on the support it enjoys after no one turned up in response to its call to gherao the Indian High Commission in London last Friday.

The lawsuit was filed before the “Howdy Modi” rally in the US in September last year and was intended to act as an irritant during PM Modi’s week-long visit to Houston and Washington.

It had challenged the abolition of Article 370 and reorganisation of J&K into two Union Territories.

Sources here said the brain behind the lawsuit was SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is facing a chargesheet in India along with several other separatists living abroad.

The case was dismissed as the litigant, the Kashmir Khalistan Referendum Front, and two other complainants identified as “TFK” and “SMS” did not attend two consecutive hearings. Pannun also reportedly did not turn up. The Kashmir Khalistan Referendum Front had served the summons to PM Modi, Shah and a local Indian Army commander at that time at the Indian Consulate in Houston. — TNS