The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its judgment on the anticipatory bail plea of Congress leader Pawan Khera in the criminal cases registered against him by the Assam police for his “false allegations” that chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma had passports of multiple countries.
Khera has filed the appeal challenging a Gauhati High Court order dismissing his plea for anticipatory bail.
A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar reserved the verdict after hearing senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi for Khera and solicitor-general Tushar Mehta for the Assam government.
On Thursday, Singhvi argued: “This is an unprecedented case where my apprehension is made credible by the prosecution itself. There are statements by the boss of the boss, of the boss, of the boss of the prosecutor (a reference to Himanta). There is no question of apprehension of arrest being in doubt.”
Singhvi cited purported statements of Himanta that Khera would face arrest at any cost. According to Singhvi, though the alleged offences are bailable, Khera was sought to be arrested only to humiliate him.
“Dr Ambedkar would turn in his grave if he saw a ‘constitutional office-holder’ speaking like a ‘constitutional cowboy’,” Singhvi said, referring to Himanta’s statements against Khera.
