Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera has approached the Supreme Court to challenge a recent Gauhati High Court order that denied his request for anticipatory bail. The legal battle stems from criminal cases filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, following Khera’s allegations regarding her property holdings and passport status.
The controversy began after Pawan Khera levelled serious allegations against Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, claiming she possessed multiple passports and undisclosed properties located abroad. These statements led to the registration of criminal cases at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station. The charges were filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The legal proceedings have already traversed multiple jurisdictions. Initially, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera a seven-day transit anticipatory bail. However, this was promptly challenged by the Assam Police before the Supreme Court.
In the previous round of litigation, the Supreme Court passed an interim order staying the transit anticipatory bail granted by the Telangana High Court. At that time, the apex court directed Khera to seek relief from the Gauhati High Court, which has jurisdiction over the primary investigation.
On April 24, Justice Parthiv Jyoti Saikia of the Gauhati High Court dismissed Khera’s anticipatory bail application. Following this rejection, Khera has returned to the Supreme Court to seek protection from arrest.
According to the Supreme Court’s case status report, Khera’s petition against the Gauhati High Court order has been filed but is currently awaiting assignment to a specific bench for a hearing. The petitioner seeks to overturn the High Court’s refusal, arguing for the necessity of pre-arrest bail in the face of the investigation launched by the Assam authorities.
