Congress leader Pawan Khera has moved the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a defamation case filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The case was registered after Khera made allegations against Riniki on April 5, claiming she held passports issued by the UAE and Egypt, and owned undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai and a company in the US.
Both Himanta and Riniki denied the claims, and the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including false statement in connection with an election, cheating, forgery, and defamation.
Khera had previously approached the Telangana high court and was granted anticipatory bail, but the Assam police challenged the order in the Supreme Court, which stayed the pre-arrest shield granted bail.
The Assam police sought a non-bailable warrant against Khera, but it was rejected by the chief judicial magistrate's court in Kamrup Metropolitan district.
A PTI report said the investigating officer's case was "entirely based on presumptions and conjectures, and are not supported by any material on record."
