Supreme Court Deliberates on Pawan Khera's Anticipatory Bail Request
Supreme Court's Consideration of Khera's Bail Application
Pawan Khera (Photo - Meta)
New Delhi, Apr 30: On Thursday, the Supreme Court reserved its ruling regarding Congress leader Pawan Khera's request for anticipatory bail in connection with allegations involving Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife, who is accused of holding multiple passports and undisclosed foreign assets.
A bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar decided to reserve their judgment after Khera argued that denying him anticipatory bail would defeat the very purpose of such a provision.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Khera, contended that the accusations against him should be addressed through a trial, emphasizing that arrest was unnecessary and humiliating.
Singhvi pointed out that some of the charges against Khera are bailable, while others do not warrant his arrest.
Opposing the plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Assam government, claimed that Khera had presented falsified and altered passport copies of the chief minister's spouse.
Mehta further alleged that Khera had been evading authorities and disseminating videos, asserting that the claims regarding the chief minister's wife possessing multiple citizenships are unfounded.
Khera is contesting an April 24 ruling from the Gauhati High Court that denied him anticipatory bail.
In response to the allegations, the chief minister's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, has initiated criminal proceedings against Khera and others at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Previously, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera a seven-day transit anticipatory bail, but the Assam Police subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court against this decision.
The Supreme Court issued an interim order to suspend the anticipatory transit bail and instructed Khera to seek relief from the Gauhati High Court.