The court rejects Congress leader Pawan Khera’s plea, cites serious charges beyond defamation
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court on April 24 declined to grant anticipatory bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera in connection with a case registered by the Assam Police’s Crime Branch.
A single-judged bench of Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia delivered the order after reserving its verdict on April 21. While the detailed judgement is awaited, the court refused to extend pre-arrest protection to Khera.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, over allegations that she possessed multiple passports and undisclosed foreign assets. Based on this, the FIR invokes several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to cheating, forgery, false statements and defamation.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Khera, argued that the case was politically driven. He maintained that the remarks were made in a political context and, at most, amounted to defamation. Supporting this, Senior Counsel K.N. Choudhary termed the allegations “scandalous” and suggested they reflected “deliberate malice.”
However opposing the plea, Advocate General Devajit Lon Saikia contended that the matter involved “serious offences” such as fabrication of documents and could not be treated as mere defamation.
Earlier, Khera has secured temporary protection from the Telangana High Court, which was later stayed by the Supreme Court. Following this, he approached the Gauhati High Court for relief.
With the plea now rejected, the investigation into the allegation is set to proceed.
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