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Pawan Khera moves Gauhati HC, seeks anticipatory bail in FIR by Himanta’s wife
Riniki filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Khera over his allegations on April 5 that she held passports issued by the UAE and Egypt
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday moved the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a defamation case filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Riniki filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Khera over his allegations on April 5 that she held passports issued by the UAE and Egypt, and owned undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai and a company in the US. Both Himanta and Riniki denied the claims.
The Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including false statement in connection with an election, cheating, forgery of valuable security or will, forgery of public record, using forged documents as genuine, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and defamation.
A police team also conducted searches at his house in Delhi on April 7.
Also Read:Supreme Court stays interim protection from arrest for Congress’s Pawan Khera
Khera subsequently approached the Telangana high court and was granted anticipatory bail on April 10.
However, Assam police challenged the order in the Supreme Court, which stayed the pre-arrest shield granted bail on April 15. Khera subsequently approached the top court to seek transit bail, allowing him to travel to Guwahati without risk of arrest. But on Friday, the Supreme Court declined the plea.
Meanwhile, the Assam police sought a non-bailable warrant against him on Saturday from the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Kamrup Metropolitan district. The court, however. rejected the plea.
A PTI report on Sunday said the investigating officer’s case (IO) to seek non-bailable warrant was “entirely based on presumptions and conjectures, and are not supported by any material on record”.
“Furthermore, as the present case is cognisable and offence being non-bailable, the I/O already has the authority to effect arrest under Section 35 of the BNSS, if deemed necessary for the purposes of investigation, according to the guidelines laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” the PTI report said, quoting from the order.
On Monday, a legal team from Assam Congress filed a petition on Khera’s behalf before the Gauhati high court. The petition was registered on the HC’s website and has been listed for hearing on Tuesday.
