NEW DELHI: Congress leader Pawan Khera has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Gauhati High Court’s rejection of his anticipatory bail plea in connection with an FIR filed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.
The FIR was registered after Khera alleged that Sharma holds three foreign passports and owns a company in the United States.
Khera’s petition was filed in the apex court on Sunday evening by his lawyer, Priyanka Sharma.
As per the causelist, the matter has not yet been listed for hearing. It is likely that his senior counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, will mention the case on Monday before a bench led by the Chief Justice, seeking an urgent hearing.
Khera moved the Supreme Court after the Gauhati High Court, on April 24, rejected his anticipatory bail plea in the case registered by the Crime Branch of the Assam Police in Guwahati.
Riniki Bhuyan Sharma filed the FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, alleging defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The complaint was based on statements made by Khera during a press conference, where he claimed that she possessed multiple foreign passports and undisclosed assets abroad.
Following the registration of the FIR, Assam Police visited Khera’s residence in Delhi on April 7, but he was not present at the time.
Apprehending arrest, Khera initially approached the Telangana High Court seeking transit anticipatory bail. On April 10, the court granted him interim relief for one week, allowing him to approach the appropriate court in Assam.
Subsequently, Khera moved the Supreme Court. On April 15, the apex court stayed the Telangana High Court’s order on an appeal filed by the Assam government. Later, on April 17, the Supreme Court declined to extend the transit bail and directed Khera to approach the Gauhati High Court.
Khera then filed for anticipatory bail before the Gauhati High Court, which rejected his plea.
Maintaining his innocence, Khera argued that the FIR was filed to satisfy an “ulterior motive” and amounted to a political vendetta by the complainant, who is the Chief Minister’s wife.
While rejecting the plea, the Gauhati High Court observed on April 24 that custodial interrogation of Khera was necessary to identify the sources of the documents he relied upon for his allegations.
The court further remarked that had the allegations been made solely against the Chief Minister, they could have been considered political rhetoric. However, it noted that involving a private individual made the matter more serious and not merely a case of defamation.
The controversy stems from Khera’s statements at a press conference on April 5, where he alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma held three foreign passports and owned property in the United States that was not disclosed in her election affidavit for the April 9 Assembly polls.
Both the Chief Minister and his wife have denied the allegations, calling them false and fabricated.
