Supreme Court stays Telangana HC transit bail granted to Pawan Khera in passport row

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Telangana High Court’s order granting one-week transit anticipatory bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera, while issuing notice to him on a plea filed by the Assam government challenging the relief.

A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar issued notice to Khera seeking a response within three weeks on a plea filed by the Assam government seeking a stay of the anticipatory (transit) bail granted to him by the Telangana High Court. The bench, however, noted that in case Khera wants to apply for anticipatory bail in Assam, today’s apex court order would not come in the way.

“Issue notice. Meanwhile, the impugned order should be stayed. In case the petitioner applies for anticipatory bail before the court having jurisdiction in Assam, and while deciding such an application, the order passed today will not have any effect. Issue notice. Returnable in three weeks,” the court noted.

This comes after Assam Police had approached the Supreme Court against Telangana High Court’s decision to grant transit anticipatory bail for a period of one week from April 10, subject to the conditions. According to the bail order, Pawan Khera has to approach the competent jurisdictional court in Assam and seek appropriate relief in accordance with the law.

Telangana High Court granted one week’s anticipatory bail to Khera in a case filed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, in connection with allegations made over passport and property disclosures. He had alleged that CM Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds three passports, from India, the UAE, and Egypt, and owns undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai, along with a company in Wyoming, USA.

The Sarma family has strongly denied these claims, terming the documents “AI-generated fabrications” circulated by Pakistani social media groups.

Responding to the accusations, CM Sarma had earlier vowed stern action, stating, “Before levelling an allegation, he should have asked the Foreign Minister. Kharge ji has aged, yet he speaks like a madman. Assam Police can find and bring people from ‘pataal’ as well. I suspect Rahul Gandhi has given him these documents. So this case will extend to Rahul Gandhi. Do not try to scare us. This is Assam, and we have fought against Islamic invasion 17 times”. (ANI)