New Delhi, April 15 (NationPress) The Supreme Court is set to deliberate on Wednesday regarding the Assam government's appeal against the interim relief awarded by the Telangana High Court to Congress leader Pawan Khera. This case stems from remarks Khera allegedly made that were deemed defamatory towards Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.

According to the causelist released on the Supreme Court's official portal, the case will be addressed by a Bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar.

The Assam government has approached the Supreme Court through a Special Leave Petition (SLP), contesting the Telangana High Court's order from April 10, which granted Khera a one-week transit anticipatory bail.

The Telangana High Court had provided interim relief to Khera, allowing him to seek regular bail from the appropriate court concerning the FIR filed by the Assam Police.

In granting this relief, a single-judge Bench led by Justice K. Sujana ordered that Khera be released on anticipatory bail for a week should he be arrested. Khera petitioned the Telangana High Court for transit anticipatory bail following the registration of a case against him by the Assam Police for his claimed defamatory remarks about Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.

During the hearing in the Telangana High Court, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Khera, argued that the FIR was driven by political vendetta, asserting that Khera was being targeted for questioning the Chief Minister and his family.

Singhvi argued that even if the allegations were inaccurate, they would merely amount to defamation and should not justify an arrest.

Countering this, Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia challenged the petition's viability in the Telangana High Court, stating that Khera, being a Delhi resident, lacked a compelling reason to seek relief outside Assam.

The Assam Police have charged Khera under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, following his claims that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma held several foreign passports, undeclared luxury properties in Dubai, and shell companies in the United States.

This controversy has sparked significant political discord between the BJP and Congress ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, with Congress rallying in support of Khera, accusing the Himanta Biswa Sarma administration of utilizing police resources to intimidate political opponents.

Prominent Congress leaders have come to Khera's defense, insisting that rather than pursuing legal action, the Assam Chief Minister and his family should respond to the allegations against them.