Shiv Shankar Savita- Senior Congress leader and national spokesperson Pawan Kheda on Friday got a major legal victory from the Supreme Court of the country. The Supreme Court has granted conditional anticipatory bail to Khera in the controversial case to the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. With this decision of the court, his possible arrest has been put on hold for the time being. However, the court has made it clear that during bail he will have to fully cooperate in the investigation.
What is the whole controversy?
This entire matter is to an FIR lodged by Rinki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Pawan Kheda had alleged that the Chief Minister’s wife had passports of several countries and undeclared properties abroad. Following these allegations, a case was registered in the Guwahati Crime Branch under various sections of the Indian Justice Code (BNS). Khera had earlier approached the Gauhati High Court, but after his bail plea was rejected, he took refuge in the Supreme Court.
Humiliation is not the intention: Advocate Manu Singhvi
In the Supreme Court, Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice A.S. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi presented Kheda’s side before Chandurkar’s bench. Singhvi argued that the allegations against Kheda are only a matter of hearing and debate. It is not justified to arrest and humiliate them. He told the court that if anticipatory bail is not granted at this stage, the entire legal justification for pre-arrest bail will be lost.
Solicitor General expressed strong opposition
At the same time, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, on behalf of the Assam government, strongly opposed the bail. He told the court that the copies of the passport of the Chief Minister’s wife presented by Pawan Kheda were fake and tampered. Mehta claimed that there could be some big foreign conspiracy behind these documents, to get to the bottom of which custodial interrogation of Kheda is necessary. Rejecting the allegations outright, he said that the statement about the Chief Minister’s wife having multiple citizenships is completely untrue. After hearing the arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court held that there is no immediate need for custodial interrogation in this case. While granting anticipatory bail to Pawan Kheda, the court ordered that he will have to be present whenever called by the investigating agency and will not tamper with the evidence.
