Supreme Court reserves verdict on Pawan Khera bail plea in Assam case
The Supreme Court of India reserved its verdict on the anticipatory bail plea of Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case registered by Assam Police over alleged defamatory remarks against the wife of Himanta Biswa Sarma.
A bench comprising Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Atul Chandurkar heard arguments from senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Khera, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state.
Singhvi described the case as “unprecedented” and argued that his client’s personal liberty under Article 21 must be protected. He maintained that Khera is not a “hardened criminal” and questioned the need for arrest or custodial interrogation, noting that most allegations relate to defamation.
He also criticised remarks allegedly made by the Assam Chief Minister, suggesting they were inappropriate for a constitutional office-holder, while emphasising that even in the event of conviction, arrest was not justified at this stage.
Opposing the plea, Mehta argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the origin of documents and images cited by Khera in support of his claims. He also raised concerns about possible foreign interference in the matter and alleged that Khera had been evading authorities.
Khera approached the apex court after the Gauhati High Court denied him anticipatory bail, citing him as a potential flight risk and noting the seriousness of charges such as cheating and forgery. The High Court also observed that the alleged remarks targeted a private individual rather than a political figure.
The case stems from an April 4 press conference in which Khera made allegations against the Chief Minister’s wife, including claims related to multiple passports and undisclosed foreign assets. These allegations have been strongly denied by the Sarma family, who described the documents as fabricated.
