In a major setback to Congress leader Pawan Khera, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Telangana High Court’s order granting him one-week transit anticipatory bail in a case linked to allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife.
A bench comprising Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar issued notice to Khera and others, while staying the operation of the Telangana High Court order that had granted him interim protection.
Assam Govt Calls It ‘Forum Shopping’
Appearing for the Assam government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that Khera approaching the Telangana High Court in a case registered in Assam amounted to a “complete abuse of process” and “forum choosing”.
The apex court took note of the submission and kept the High Court order in abeyance.
What The Case Is About
The case stems from remarks made by Khera on April 5, where he alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma possessed multiple passports and undisclosed foreign assets claims strongly denied by the Sarma family as “false and fabricated”.
Charges Filed In Assam
An FIR was registered at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 175 (false statement in connection with elections), section 318 (cheating) other relevant provisions
The Supreme Court has posted the matter for hearing after three weeks, seeking detailed responses from Khera and other parties involved.
