Congress president Sonia Gandhi has declined to provide a copy of her passport to a U.S. court in New York as documentary evidence in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, citing refusal by the Indian government on grounds of personal security and confidentiality.
US District Judge Brian Cogan had last month asked her to provide some documentary evidence by April 7 to enable the court to make a determination about her presence in the United States.
The court order had come on a lawsuit filed by rights groups Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which claimed it had served summons on Ms. Gandhi when she had allegedly visited the city last year.
The lawsuit against her hinges on the issue of whether she was served summons on September 9 as the group claims, or whether she was not present in the US during that time as per her assertion.
It has sought compensation from Ms. Gandhi for her alleged role in “shielding and protecting” Congress leaders from prosecution for their alleged role in the 1984 riots.
