Telangana High Court has provided temporary relief to Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case filed by Assam Police for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma. Khera has been granted anticipatory bail for a week to allow him to seek regular bail in the appropriate court. The court’s decision was announced by Justice K. Sujana, who had earlier reserved orders on Khera’s plea.
Khera had sought transit anticipatory bail from the High Court to facilitate his legal actions in Assam. During the hearing, Khera’s counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, contended that the FIR lodged by Assam Police was politically motivated. Singhvi argued that even if Khera’s statements were incorrect, the matter should be treated as defamation and not warrant immediate arrest. He emphasized that Khera was willing to cooperate and had approached the court as he was in Hyderabad when he learned about the FIR.
Advocate General of Assam, Devajit Saikia, representing Assam Police, challenged the jurisdiction of the Hyderabad court in entertaining Khera’s anticipatory bail plea. Saikia pointed out that Khera, a resident of Delhi, had not provided valid reasons for not filing the petition in Assam. Assam Police had filed a case against Khera on charges of defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy following his allegations against Riniki Bhuyan Sarma regarding foreign passports and undisclosed assets.
