Telangana HC grants one week anticipatory bail to Cong leader Pawan Khera in case registered against him in Assam.

The Telangana high court on Friday granted Congress leader and spokesperson Pawan Khera anticipatory bail for one week in a case linked to an FIR filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, over allegations that she held multiple passports.

Justice K Sujana, while pronouncing the order, said, “The petitioner is granted time for one week to file an application before the concerned court… relief is granted to the petitioner for one week, subject to conditions,” as quoted by Live Law.The FIR against Khera has been registered at Guwahati Crime Branch police station, under Sections 175(false statement in connection with an election), 35, 36, 318 (Cheating), 338, (forgery of valuable will, security etc.), 337(Forgery of record of Court or of public register, etc.), 340(Forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine), 352(Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 356(Defamation) of BNS.

The Congress leader on April 5 alleged that Assam CM's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, has multiple passports and foreign property, which were not declared in the chief minister's election affidavit. Sarma hit back at Congress for ‘not verifying’ the documents based on which it brought allegations against him and his family.

Khera filed an anticipatory bail petition in Hyderabad, where he has a residence. Devajit Saikia, appearing for the Assam police in the high court, argued that Khera is a ‘flight risk’, alleging that he evaded the police by flying from Delhi to Hyderabad when officers reached his Delhi residence, according to a report by Live Law.

He also challenged the maintainability of the plea in Hyderabad, questioning why Khera filed it there without explaining why he could not approach a court in Assam or elsewhere in the country.Appearing for Khera, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that the criminal proceedings are motivated and driven by political vendetta.