GUWAHATI: The Indian National Congress on Saturday, April 25, expressed solidarity with its senior leader Pawan Khera, stating that it will challenge the Gauhati High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea in the Supreme Court.
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Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the party remains confident that justice will prevail. “The entire Indian National Congress stands solidly in solidarity with Pawan Khera, the Chairman of its Media and Publicity Department. The verdict of the Guwahati High Court is in the process of being challenged in the Supreme Court,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
On Friday, the Gauhati High Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to Khera, observing that the case goes beyond the scope of simple defamation and reveals a prima facie offence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The court held that custodial interrogation was necessary to determine the origin and authenticity of the documents cited by Khera and to identify those involved in procuring them.
Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia, while rejecting the plea, noted that the allegations made by Khera during a press conference in Guwahati against Riniki Bhuyan Sharma were based on documents that appear to be false, according to the investigation so far.
The controversy escalated after Khera alleged at a press conference that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, holds valid passports from three foreign countries- the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda- and claimed to possess documentary proof. He had also circulated images of documents that he alleged indicated property holdings in the UAE and links to a company registered in Wyoming in the United States, which he suggested were not disclosed in the Chief Minister’s official affidavit.
Following the press conference, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma had filed criminal complaints against Khera at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
