Guwahati, April 20: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday approached the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a case registered against him by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife over allegations that she holds multiple passports and owns offshore assets.
The move comes days after the Supreme Court of India declined to grant him interim protection from arrest and directed Khera to approach a competent court in Assam for relief.
The apex court also stayed the Telangana High Court’s transit anticipatory bail granted to him and clarified that the Gauhati High Court should decide the matter independently, without being influenced by prior observations.
The controversy stems from statements made by Khera ahead of the recent Assembly elections, in which he alleged that Sarma’s wife possessed passports from the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda, and had acquired foreign citizenship between 2021 and 2022. He also claimed that the Chief Minister had not disclosed his wife’s overseas assets in his election affidavit.
Sarma and his wife rejected the allegations, calling them fabricated and misleading. They alleged that the claims were based on manipulated or AI-generated material and traced their origin to a Pakistani YouTube channel. Sarma’s wife subsequently initiated criminal and civil defamation proceedings against Khera.
Meanwhile, a local court in Guwahati has rejected Assam Police’s plea for a non-bailable warrant against Khera in the same case. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Kamrup Metro, in an order dated April 7, observed that the grounds cited by the investigating officer were “entirely based on presumptions and conjectures” and lacked supporting material evidence.
Also Read: CM unveils multi-scheme agriculture Push in Tura, focus on inputs, value addition
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
