New Delhi, April 13 — Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his party stands with Pawan Khera and “will not be intimidated” after the Assam government moved the Supreme Court to challenge a transit anticipatory bail granted to Khera in a case arising from his allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the CM’s wife.
“The questions that are being raised have to be probed. Transparency, accountability of power and rule of law are the basis of our Constitutional values. The Congress Party stands with Pawan Khera. We will not be intimidated,” Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said in a social media post.
Gandhi also alleged: “The present CM of Assam is the most corrupt in the country. He will not escape the law. His abuse of state power to harass his political opponents and critics is against the Constitution,” repeating the party’s accusation of misuse of authority.
The dispute follows a Telangana High Court order on April 10 that granted Khera, the AICC media and publicity department chairperson, one week of transit anticipatory bail. Khera had approached the Hyderabad bench of the high court on April 7 after Assam police visited his Delhi residence for questioning but did not find him; he listed a residential address in Hyderabad in his plea.
Khera, at a press conference on April 5, alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma — the wife of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma — holds multiple passports and owns foreign property that were not declared in the chief minister’s election affidavit for the April 9 Assam Assembly polls. The Sarmas have denied the allegations, calling them false and fabricated.
The case was registered on the complaint of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station under several sections cited in the source, including section 175 (false statement in connection with an election), section 35 (right of private defence of the body and of property) and section 318 (cheating).
The Telangana High Court granted limited relief while giving Khera a week to move the appropriate court and stipulated conditions. Without expressing any opinion on the merits, the court said the petitioner had made out a case for limited transit anticipatory bail because his apprehension of arrest appeared reasonable and was supported by material on record.
Under the high court’s conditions, Khera would be released on bail if arrested upon executing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties of the like sum each, must cooperate with the investigation and make himself available for interrogation when required, and must not leave the country without prior permission of a competent court. The Assam government has now taken the matter to the Supreme Court, challenging the high court’s transit bail order.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/well-not-be-intimidated-rahul-on-assam-govts-sc-move-against-pawan-khera-1610606
Category: Assam,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-04-13 16:06:00
