Sonia Gandhi seeks dismissal of 1984 case in US

India's Congress party president Sonia Gandhi's has filed a new motion to dismiss a human rights violation lawsuit against her by Sikhs for Justice, a New York based human rights group.

In a reply memorandum filed in the district court of New York's Eastern District, Gandhi's lawyers said the plaintiffs had unjustly argued for "unlimited extraterritorial jurisdiction and corporate liability to reach the tragic events of 1984 in India, and hold an innocent Gandhi liable.

Saying that "two wrongs don't make a right," the motion said the plaintiffs "fail to attribute actual acts or omissions to Mrs. Gandhi."

The plaintiffs complaint was also devoid of any "factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged," they said.

US federal court for the Eastern District of New York had in Sep 2013 issued summons against Sonia Gandhi on a complaint filed by SFJ and some victims of anti-Sikh violence in India in November 1984.

The group has sought compensatory and punitive damages against Gandhi for her alleged role in shielding and protecting Congress party leaders including Kamal Nath, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and Amitabh Bachchan from prosecution for their alleged role in the 1984 violence.