Telangana High Court Delays Ruling on Pawan Khera's Bail Request Amid Assam Police Case
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Hyderabad, April 9 (NationPress) On Thursday, the Telangana High Court postponed its ruling on the plea filed by Congress leader Pawan Khera, who is seeking temporary protection from arrest due to a case initiated by the Assam Police. This case concerns Khera’s alleged defamatory remarks regarding Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.
Khera is pursuing transit anticipatory bail to facilitate his approach to the courts in Assam.
After listening to arguments from both parties, Justice K. Sujana reserved the ruling, which is expected to be delivered on Friday.
Khera’s attorney, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, contended that the FIR filed by Assam Police suggests a clear case of political vendetta.
On the other hand, Devajit Saikia, Advocate General for Assam, questioned the viability of the anticipatory bail request in Hyderabad. He argued that Khera, a resident of Delhi, had not provided any justification for not filing in Assam.
The Assam Police has implicated Pawan Khera in a case involving defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.
The charges stem from Khera’s allegations that Riniki Bhuyan possesses multiple foreign passports and undisclosed assets abroad.
On Tuesday, a team from Assam Police visited Khera's residence in Delhi, but he was not present. Police also set up barricades and deployed security outside both Khera’s and his wife Neelima’s house in Hyderabad.
Following his controversial statements about Chief Minister Sarma’s wife, Khera has been under scrutiny from Assam authorities. He has been charged under 14 sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.
The situation escalated after Khera's press conference on Sunday, where he accused Riniki Bhuyan Sarma of having three passports, undeclared luxury real estate in Dubai, and shell companies in the US.
After going off the radar post-conference, Khera publicly demanded that the Chief Minister address the serious allegations against him and his wife instead of resorting to intimidation through police actions. In a video statement, he expressed his determination not to be cowed by such tactics and to continue questioning the authorities.
The Congress party shared Khera’s video on its X account, where he, from an undisclosed location, told the Assam Chief Minister, “Instead of responding to serious allegations, you’ve mobilized your police. However, we, the soldiers of Rahul Gandhi, will not be intimidated.”