New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a plea of Congress leader Pawan Khera seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered against him related to allegations that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife possessed multiple passports and undisclosed properties abroad.
A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar reserved its decision on the plea after the Congress leader submitted that if he doesn’t get anticipatory bail in a registered case against him, then the very purpose of pre-arrest bail is gone.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Khera, said the allegations against him are a matter of trial and it was not necessary to humiliate him by arrest.
Singhvi told the court that the allegations are a matter for trial and that it was “not necessary to humiliate him (Khera) with the arrest. He added that several sections invoked in the case are bailable, while others do not warrant custodial interrogation.
Opposing the plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Assam government, alleged that Khera had circulated “fake and doctored” passport copies of the Chief Minister’s wife.
Mehta also told the court that Khera had been absconding while continuing to release videos, and asserted that the allegations regarding multiple citizenships were false.
Khera has challenged the April 24 order of the Gauhati High Court, which denied him anticipatory bail.
Following the allegations, the Chief Minister’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, filed criminal complaints against Khera and others at the Guwahati Crime Branch under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera a seven-day transit anticipatory bail. However, Assam Police moved the Supreme Court against the relief, after which the apex court stayed the order and directed Khera to approach the Gauhati High Court.
