The Assam government told the Supreme Court on Thursday that Congress leader Pawan Khera used forged documents to claim that Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife held multiple passports. Even as the court reserved its judgment on Khera’s anticipatory bail plea, the state said Khera must face custodial interrogation to explain whether he forged the documents or received them from others, and whether any “foreign hand” was involved in an attempt to disrupt the state’s assembly polls.
Appearing for Assam, solicitor general Tushar Mehta told a bench of justices J K Maheshwari and Atul Chandurkar that Khera claimed at a press conference that Sarma’s wife held passports of three countries, displaying their images. Mehta said the investigation so far showed those images were forged. He added that Khera had shown fake documents relating to a company registered in the US.
Mehta told the court that the state police thus needed custodial interrogation to trace the source of the documents. He said they must determine, who created the forgeries, how they altered photographs, names, and QR codes, and whether any actors outside India played a role.
“This is not a mere case of defamation, but it involves a most serious offence with wider national implications. He [Khera] will have to explain who forged the documents for him and if a foreign hand was involved to disturb our local elections,” Mehta submitted, opposing Khera’s petition challenging the April 24 Gauhati high court order denying him anticipatory bail in a case filed on a complaint of Sarma’s wife.
Mehta said Khera evaded the investigation and argued that his public statements, including videos about avoiding the Assam Police, showed he was refusing to cooperate with the probe.
{{/usCountry}}Mehta said Khera evaded the investigation and argued that his public statements, including videos about avoiding the Assam Police, showed he was refusing to cooperate with the probe.
{{/usCountry}}Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Khera, argued that the case did not justify arrest. He argued that Sarma was targeting Khera out of political rivalry and that the chief minister’s public comments against him showed “malice” and “angst.”
Singhvi said investigators could question Khera without arrest. He said Khera posed no flight risk and that his custodial interrogation was unnecessary.