Headlines
US to oppose plea to declare RSS a terror group
The US has told a court here that it intends to move for dismissal of a
lawsuit for declaring India's RSS as a "terror group" while seeking time
till April 14 to do so.
In a motion filed Tuesday before judge
Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York, US attorney
Preet Bharara said the "government requires additional time to finalize
its motion and supporting papers".
The US based rights group
Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has filed a lawsuit in the US court to label the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a foreign terrorist organization,
according to SFJ attorney Gurpatwant S Pannun. It has sought such a
declaration for RSS for allegedly "believing in and practicing a fascist
ideology and for running a passionate, vicious and violent campaign to
turn India into a 'Hindu' nation with a homogeneous religious and
cultural identity".
In its response filed on behalf of Secretary
of State John Kerry, Bharara's office acknowledged that the government's
deadline to respond to the complaint was Tuesday.
But "in lieu
of an answer, the Government intends to move to dismiss the complaint,
and requires additional time to finalise its motion and supporting
papers," it said.
"In the event this request is granted, the
Government would consent to any reasonable deadline for the filing of
opposition papers that plaintiff's counsel would propose," it added.