New York,March 25: The US has told a court in New York that it intends to move for dismissal of a lawsuit for declaring the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a “terror group” while seeking time till April 14 to do so.
In a motion filed on Tuesday before judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York, US attorney Preet Bharara said the “government requires additional time to finalise 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 RSS a foreign terrorist organisation, 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.
The RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP and heads a network of right-wing organisations across India and abroad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and a number of chief ministers and top party leaders are former RSS members.
