The Supreme Court on April 15 stayed the Telangana High Court’s one-week transit anticipatory bail granted to Congress leader Pawan Khera in an FIR filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma alleging multiple passports and undisclosed foreign assets, a development Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed. A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar issued notice to Khera and asked him to respond within three weeks to a challenge by the Assam government, while clarifying the order does not bar him from approaching an Assam court for anticipatory bail in accordance with law.
Reacting to the apex court’s stay, Sarma said “the law will take its own course” and argued the Telangana High Court should not have granted transit bail because Khera is not a resident of that state. Sarma also pushed back at remarks by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had demanded an investigation into allegations against the chief minister’s wife.
Sarma challenged Gandhi to make his own passport public before accusing the family, saying: “Before speaking, Rahul Gandhi must remember that he is not God. He should disclose his passport before the media, and I will also present my wife’s passport.” The statement underscores mounting political heat around the case.
The controversy began after Khera alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma holds three passports-Indian, United Arab Emirates and Egyptian-owns luxury properties in Dubai and controls a company in Wyoming, United States. The Sarma family has strongly denied these claims and filed an FIR against Khera in response.
Rahul Gandhi reiterated Congress support for Khera in a post on X, describing Sarma as the “most corrupt” chief minister in the country and calling for a thorough probe. Gandhi also accused the Assam government of using state machinery to target political opponents and critics.
The exchange has further escalated tensions between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam and the Congress. With the Supreme Court issuing notice and the Assam government pursuing legal recourse, court proceedings are now set to determine the next steps in the dispute.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/law-will-take-its-own-course-himanta-biswa-sarma-welcomes-sc-stay-on-pawan-kheras-transit-bail-1376123-2026-04-15?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-04-15 17:21:00
