Pawan Khera: ‘Not necessary to humiliate me by arrest’: Pawan Khera in SC amid passport row case | India News
New Delhi: India’s Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on Congress leader Pawan Khera’s anticipatory bail plea, with Khera telling the court that there was “no need to humiliate him by arresting him” in the passport row case involving the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma.During the hearing, Khera told the court that the charges against him were sub judice. “Some of the charges brought against me are bailable, others do not require arrest,” he added.Khera also submitted that if he does not get anticipatory bail in the case registered against him in Assam, “then the purpose of pre-arrest bail is gone.”A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.Appearing for Khera, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said the case did not warrant custodial interrogation and reiterated that the arrest was unnecessary.Opposing the plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Assam government, told the court that Khera had shown a “fake” and “doctored” copy of the chief minister’s wife’s passport. He also alleged that Khera was absconding and circulated the videos, even though the multiple citizenship claims were false.The case arose out of an allegation made by Khera against Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, following which a criminal complaint was filed against him at the Guwahati Crime Branch under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.Khera has challenged an April 24 Gauhati High Court order, which denied him anticipatory bail.Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted him seven days transit anticipatory bail. However, the Assam Police moved the Supreme Court against the relief, following which the Supreme Court suspended the transit bail and directed Khera to the Gauhati High Court.The apex court is now expected to pass an order on Khera’s anticipatory bail plea in due course.
