'Am I a terrorist?' Supreme Court refuses relief to Pawan Khera, keeps bail stay intact
The Supreme Court of India on Friday declined to vacate its stay on the Telangana High Court’s order granting transit anticipatory bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case registered in Assam.
The decision leaves Khera vulnerable to arrest by Assam Police.
Liberty to approach Guwahati High Court
A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar, however, allowed Khera to immediately move the Guwahati High Court with a fresh anticipatory bail plea.
The top court directed that the matter be decided strictly on its merits and without being influenced by its own observations in the case.
No interim protection granted
The court refused to grant interim protection from arrest until next week. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Khera, said the bail application would be filed on Monday.
Reacting to the denial of relief, Singhvi remarked, “Am I a terrorist?”
Court flags ‘incorrect Aadhaar’ submission
During the hearing, the Supreme Court also pulled up Khera for submitting incorrect documents, specifically an inaccurate Aadhaar card.
Earlier, the apex court had stayed the Telangana High Court’s order that granted Khera a week’s transit bail.
Telangana HC relief challenged
On April 10, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera temporary protection from arrest, citing his apprehension of being detained after search operations at his Delhi residence.
The court had clarified that the relief was limited, allowing him time to approach a competent court in Assam for regular anticipatory bail.
However, Assam Police challenged this order before the Supreme Court, leading to the present proceedings.
Case linked to remarks on Himanta Sarma’s wife
The case stems from an April 4 press conference in which Khera made allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.
Khera had claimed that Sharma held multiple passports and owned undisclosed foreign properties.
The Sarma family has denied the allegations, calling the documents “AI-generated fabrications.” A complaint was subsequently filed with Guwahati Police, triggering the current legal battle.
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