The Telangana high court has reserved orders on a plea by senior Congress leader Pawan Khera seeking protection from arrest in connection with an FIR registered by the Assam Police.
Khera approached the high court arguing that no arrest was warranted in what was, "at the highest", a case of alleged defamation.
Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Khera, accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of using the state police to harass and intimidate him.
Singhvi argued that the FIR itself framed the allegations against Khera as "defamatory imputations", raising questions about the necessity of custodial interrogation.
Opposing the plea, the Assam Police argued that the case went beyond simple defamation and involved serious allegations of forgery and fabrication of documents.
The FIR was registered on April 6 following a complaint by Riniki Sharma after Khera alleged in a press conference that she held multiple foreign passports and undisclosed overseas assets.
