Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Gauhati High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea in a case registered by Assam Police over his alleged remarks against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife.
Khera approached the apex court after the High Court last week declined to grant him anticipatory bail in a forgery and criminal case lodged by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the wife of the Assam Chief Minister.
The case was registered with the crime branch of the Guwahati Police commissionerate on the basis of a complaint filed by Riniki on April 6 midnight, hours after Khera, in two back-to-back press conferences in Delhi and Guwahati, accused her of holding passports of UAE, Egypt and Antigua and Barbuda and of having assets in foreign countries.
Khera's petition in the Supreme Court is listed as pending.
A single-judge bench of Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia held that the Congress leader does not deserve to be given the privilege of anticipatory bail. The court observed that the case cannot be termed as a case of defamation simpliciter, as there are materials for a prima facie case under Section 339 (forgery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, while rejecting his plea.
During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Khera, argued that the case was politically motivated and stemmed from alleged remarks attributed to the Assam CM. He expressed concerns over fairness in the case, particularly with state elections approaching.
The Congress party had earlier announced its intention to challenge the Gauhati High Court verdict in the Supreme Court. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh stated that the party stood solidly in solidarity with Khera and expressed confidence that relief would be granted.
Khera had previously obtained interim relief from the Telangana High Court, which granted him transit anticipatory bail for a limited period to enable him to approach the competent court in Assam. However, the Supreme Court later stayed that relief after Assam Police challenged the order, and subsequently declined Khera's plea to vacate the stay and refused to extend interim protection. Following this, Khera moved the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail, which was rejected.
