US court dismisses 1984 riots case against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi/ New York, Aug 26: A US court of appeals in New York dismissed Nov 1984 anti-Sikh violence case against Congress party president Sonia Gandhi for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

Last month, a US federal court in Brooklyn dismissed a lawsuit filed by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ),a Sikh rights organization, her of shielding party leaders allegedly involved in violence against Sikhs in November 1984 after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The court dismissed the charges under Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and that the plaintiffs have no standing to bring the lawsuit.

"Upon due consideration whereof, it is hereby ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the judgment of the district court is affirmed" the court said in its order Tuesday.

The three-judge panel affirmed the district court's order that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction over plaintiffs' claims because "all the relevant conduct took place outside the United States" in India.

SFJ plans to file an appeal to challenge the summary order, according to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to the organisation.

OneIndia News (with inputs from agency)