New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera hours after he was arrested from the Delhi Airport by the Assam Police over objectionable remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Thursday morning, Khera was first stopped from flying out of Delhi to Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, and then arrested over “derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
In a press conference last week, Khera had called the Prime Minister “Narendra Gautamdas Modi” instead of Narendra Damodardas Modi, “Damodardas” being his late father’s name.
When corrected, Khera had quipped while commenting on the Hindenburg-Gautam Adani row: “Name is Damodardas but deeds are of Gautamdas.” With the ensuing furore over his remarks, Khera later tweeted his apology, saying he “genuinely got confused”.
Khera’s remarks prompted immediate FIRs in Lucknow and Varanasi, and more recently one in Assam, which resulted in his arrest Thursday.
Fighting for Khera, lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought interim relief for the leader and the consolidation of similar FIRs being filed across the country.
Singhvi also told the court that Khera had already apologised, arguing his comments were a “mistake, a slip of the tongue”.
The top court then issued notices to the Assam Police and the Uttar Pradesh Police on Khera’s plea seeking clubbing of the various FIRs. It said Khera would be out on interim bail till the next date of hearing and instructed the Dwarka Court to grant it.
The arrest received a barrage of criticism from the Congress, with leaders slamming it as dictatorial.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said: “Are the Prime Minister and Home Minister unaware of this incident? India’s condition is worsening day by day. Democracy is in danger, laws have gone for a toss. They (BJP) blame Indira Gandhi for the Emergency but what they are doing is worse than the Emergency.
Congress MP Randeep Surjewala also commented before the matter went to court: “Himanta Biswa Sarma is trying to prove that he is a loyalist. A fake FIR has been registered against Pawan Khera. What crime did he commit? We will fight for the truth and they can’t silence us. We will fight this legally.”
The top court then issued notices to the Assam Police and the Uttar Pradesh Police on Khera’s plea seeking clubbing of the various FIRs. It said Khera would be out on interim bail till the next date of hearing and instructed the Dwarka Court to grant it.
Also read: Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera detained at Delhi airport days after ‘Gautamdas’ remark