New Delhi, Apr 25 — The Congress on Saturday said it will challenge in the Supreme Court the Gauhati High Court’s decision to reject anticipatory bail for party spokesperson Pawan Khera, reiterating its support for him amid the case. Congress general secretary (in-charge communications) Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X that “the entire Indian National Congress stands solidly in solidarity with Pawan Khera” and expressed confidence that “justice will prevail over the politics of threat, intimidation, and harassment.”
The Gauhati High Court, in a single-judge order by Justice Parthiv Jyoti Saikia on Friday, dismissed Khera’s anticipatory bail application. The petition had been filed after the Supreme Court directed Khera to move the Gauhati court; he had initially approached the Telangana High Court, since he is a Hyderabad resident.
The case stems from allegations Khera made in a press conference that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, held multiple passports and owned undisclosed properties abroad. Following those remarks, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma lodged criminal complaints at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Gauhati High Court said the matter could not be treated as “defamation simpliciter” — a simple defamation claim — and found prima facie material under Section 339 of the BNS, which deals with the possession of forged documents or electronic records. The court observed that the petitioner appeared to be avoiding police investigation.
The bench added that custodial interrogation was necessary to determine Khera’s associates, who supplied the documents he cited, and the origins of those materials. Those findings underpinned the court’s decision to deny anticipatory bail.
Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera a seven-day transit anticipatory bail. The Assam Police challenged that order in the Supreme Court, which stayed the grant of transit bail and directed Khera to seek relief before the Gauhati High Court.
The Congress said it will pursue the matter in the Supreme Court following the Gauhati High Court’s order. (PTI)
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/national/congress-backs-pawan-khera-to-move-supreme-court-against-gauhati-hc-order-1610958
Category: National,Featured
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-04-25 11:51:00
