Hyderabad, Apr 10 (PTI) In some relief to senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, the Telangana High Court on Friday granted transit anticipatory bail for one week to the party spokesperson in a case registered against him by the Assam police over his allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife.
During the hearng of a petition filed by Khera, Justice K Sujana granted him a week’s time to file an application before the concerned court and granted him relief for one week with certain conditions.
“Without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, this court is of the view that the petitioner has made out a case for grant of limited transit anticipatory bail, as his apprehension of arrest appears to be reasonable and supported by material on record,” the court said in its order.
Accordingly, the court granted Khera transit anticipatory bail for a period of one week in the event of his arrest from Friday subject to the conditions laid down by it.
The conditions were–the petitioner shall be released on bail in the event of arrest on his executing a personal bond for Rs one lakh with two sureties for the like sum each, cooperate with the investigation and make himself available for interrogation as and when required by the Investigating Officer and that he shall not leave the country without prior permission of the competent Court.
The conditions further include that the petitioner shall, within the stipulated period, approach the competent jurisdictional court in Assam and seek appropriate relief and he, being a public figure, shall exercise restraint in making any further public statements in relation to the subject matter of the present case, which may prejudice the investigation, the order said.
The Congress leader on April 5 had alleged that the Assam CM’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, has multiple passports and foreign property, which were not declared in the chief minister’s election affidavit for the April 9 Assembly polls in that state.
The case against Khera was registered at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station under several sections of the BNS, including 175 (false statement in connection with an election), 35 (Right of private defence of the body and of property) and 318 (cheating).
Khera, who filed the petition in the High Court on April 7, showed his residential address in Hyderabad. He requested the court to release him on bail in the event of his arrest.
Congress MP and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who argued virtually for Khera on Thursday, alleged political vendetta in the case by the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government.
Singhvi, describing Assam CM Himantha Biswa Sharma as a “Constitutional Cowboy,” said Khera was in Hyderabad when the FIR was filed against him by Guwahati police and that he co-resides with his wife who is a resident of the Telangana capital. She had also contested in polls in the southern state.
Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia, who argued against Khera’s petition on Thursday, had stressed that there was no political vendetta against the Congress leader and that the petition was not maintainable before the Telangana HC.
He further said the complainant is a lady (Sarma’s wife) and not a political person. The allegations made by Khera are devoid of any truth, he said.
An Assam police team had earlier visited Khera’s Delhi residence for questioning in connection with the case.
Sarma on Tuesday slammed the Congress for “not verifying” the documents based on which it brought allegations against him and his family.
The CM asserted that Khera had “run away” to Hyderabad, but the Assam police will “hunt him down even from ‘pataal’ (netherworld)”. PTI SJR VVK SJR SA
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