The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant interim protection to Congress leader Pawan Khera in connection with a case related to allegations involving Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife.
Khera had sought protection from coercive action till April 20, but the court declined his plea.
The bench instead directed him to approach the appropriate court in Assam and seek anticipatory bail.
A bench comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar on Friday took note of the submissions of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Khera, and asked the Assam court that will hear the Congress leader's plea to not consider adverse remarks, if any, made by the top court and the Telangana High Court in the case.
The bench also asked the courts in Assam to take up Khera's plea expeditiously.
On April 15, the top court stayed a Telangana High Court order granting Khera one-week transit anticipatory bail in the case
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Assam government, had argued that it was a case of lack of territorial jurisdiction and no averment was there in Khera's plea as to why he had moved the Telangana High Court.
The case stems from an FIR registered at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station over allegations arising from Khera’s April 5 press conference, in which he claimed that CM Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, held multiple passports and foreign properties that were not disclosed in the Chief Minister’s election affidavit for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The Sarma family rejected the allegations as false and fabricated.
Earlier, on April 7, an Assam Police team accompanied by Delhi Police personnel had visited Khera’s residence in connection with the case but did not find him. Officials had also claimed recovery of “incriminating” material during searches.
The FIR against Khera has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections relating to false statement in connection with an election, right of private defence of body and property, and cheating.