New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to set a date for petitions seeking action against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s escalating targeting of the state’s Muslim community, with the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant appearing to co-relate the petition against the hate speech to an election-time “problem.”To the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India leader Annie Raja’s pleas, the CJI said that the “problem” is that “when elections come, part of the elections is fought inside the Supreme Court,” according to LiveLaw.Advocate Nizam Pasha had mentioned the matter seeking urgent listing, saying according to the report, “We seek urgent intervention of this Court with respect to disturbing speeches made by the sitting CM of Assam, including a recent video posted where he is shown as shooting at members of a particular community. Complaints are filed, but no FIRs registered.”“We will find out, will give date,” the CJI also said.The LiveLaw report notes that the CPI(M) and Annie Raja have filed separate writ petitions seeking the registration of FIRs against Sarma for offences related to hate speech and communal polarisation, and the constitution of a Special Investigation Team by the Supreme Court to investigate the matter.Riding on a wave of hate speech from Sarma, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Assam wing posted and then deleted a video depicting the state chief minister shooting Muslims. The video marked an illegal escalation of Sarma’s already communal haranguing of the state’s Muslim population. Many wrote on social media that this was a clear offence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.Sarma has earlier said that his job was to “make the Miya people suffer”, and then declared that Muslims would not be allowed to vote in Assam. “Whoever can give trouble in any way should give, including you. In a rickshaw, if the fare is Rs 5, give them Rs 4. Only if they face troubles will they leave Assam… These are not issues. Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP are directly against Miyas,” he said.‘Miya’ refers to the Bengali-speaking and East Bengal-origin Muslim population of Assam. While the term is used pejoratively by the likes of Sarma, the community has also reclaimed it and are known to use it to identify themselves.The petitioners have provided a detailed chronology from 2021 to February 2026, LiveLaw reports, cataloguing speeches and statements allegedly calling for social, economic, and civic exclusion of Bengali-origin Muslims, including exhortations to deny them livelihoods, transport, land, and voting rights.The petition claimed that these statements have had real-world consequences, with reports of economic discrimination, harassment, and exclusion being justified by perpetrators as acting on the chief minister’s directions.The petition argues “that the rhetoric deliberately conflates illegal immigration with Muslim identity, despite immigration being religion-neutral and despite NRC data showing that a majority of those excluded were non-Muslims,” the report noted.“This, it is contended, exposes the communal and discriminatory intent underlying the statements.”Another writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court filed by 12 persons, flagging Sarma’s hate speech.