Senior Congress leader, Pawan Khera, on Wednesday appeared before the Crime Branch in Guwahati in connection with a case filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Pawan Khera arrived at the Crime Branch office during the day and cooperated with the investigation, an official said.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted anticipatory bail to Pawan Khera in the matter, providing him protection from arrest while directing him to cooperate with the investigation process. Speaking briefly to mediapersons outside the Crime Branch office, Khera said he has faith in the judiciary and would abide by the law.
The case stems from a complaint lodged by Riniki Bhuyan, at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station. The complaint was filed over Khera’s public allegations at a Press conference that she possessed multiple foreign passports and had financial interests abroad.
The FIR invokes several Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including provisions related to false statements in connection with elections, cheating, forgery of valuable security, forgery of public records, using forged documents as genuine, intentional insult and defamation.
Khera had initially approached the Telangana High Court, which granted him one week’s transit anticipatory bail on April 10 to seek regular relief before the competent court in Assam. Subsequently, the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the transit anticipatory bail and clarified that any plea filed before the competent court in Assam would be considered independently.
It later declined Khera’s request to vacate the stay or extend interim protection. Khera then moved the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail. The High Court rejected the plea, observing that the matter was not one of simple defamation and that custodial interrogation was necessary to ascertain the source of the documents cited by him.
Earlier this month, the Assam Police had also conducted searches at Khera’s Delhi residence and pursued investigative steps in Hyderabad as part of its probe against the leader.