Congress leader seeks protection from arrest as Supreme Court hears heated arguments over defamation case linked to Assam CM’s wife
The Supreme Court of India on Thursday reserved its order on Congress leader Pawan Khera’s plea for anticipatory bail in a defamation case filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, setting the stage for a high-profile legal and political showdown.
The case, which has intensified tensions between the Congress and the Assam government, was heard by a bench of Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Atul Chandurkar, after Pawan Khera challenged the Gauhati High Court order that denied him anticipatory bail.
Congress alleges threat of arrest
Representing Khera before the apex court, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the Congress leader faces a genuine threat of arrest and said the circumstances justified urgent judicial protection.
During the hearing, Singhvi told the court that his client had a “credible apprehension of arrest,” alleging that statements made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma indicated political hostility.
Sharp remarks in Supreme Court
In a strongly worded submission, Abhishek Manu Singhvi questioned the need for custodial interrogation, saying that even if the allegations were assumed to be true, arrest was not warranted.
He said the real basis for the demand for custody appeared to be political anger rather than legal grounds and criticised what he described as threatening remarks by the Assam Chief Minister.
Singhvi further argued that the purpose of anticipatory bail would be defeated if courts refused protection even when the accused feared politically motivated arrest.
Defamation allegations stem from press conference
The controversy stems from statements made by Pawan Khera during a press conference, where he alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma possessed multiple foreign passports, undeclared luxury properties in Dubai and links to shell companies in the United States.
These allegations led to a criminal defamation complaint, after which the matter reached the Gauhati High Court.
High Court denied anticipatory bail
Earlier, the Gauhati High Court rejected Khera’s anticipatory bail plea, stating that custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the origin of the allegedly false documents used to make the accusations.
The court observed that investigators needed to identify the sources who had provided the documents, making arrest necessary for the probe.
Khera, however, argued in the Supreme Court that the issuance of a non-bailable warrant and the refusal of anticipatory bail undermined the purpose of legal safeguards meant to protect individuals from arbitrary arrest.
Political stakes rise as verdict awaited
With the Supreme Court reserving its judgment, the case has become politically significant, as it pits a senior Congress spokesperson against the wife of a sitting chief minister.
The eventual ruling is expected to have implications not only for Pawan Khera but also for the broader question of how anticipatory bail protections apply in politically sensitive defamation cases.
