The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to quash criminal proceedings against Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera for making allegedly disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported Bar and Bench.
The proceedings pertain to the Congress leader’s statement at a press conference in February in which he had referred to the prime minister as “Narendra Gautamdas Modi” – instead of Narendra Damodardas Modi – in an apparent jibe to link him with industrialist Gautam Adani.
Khera was criticising the Modi government over the crisis triggered by a report of American firm Hindenburg Research, alleging that the Adani Group had improperly used offshore tax havens and manipulated stock prices. Opposition leaders have repeatedly accused the prime minister of favouring Gautam Adani, the founder of the conglomerate.
The Congress leader was arrested by the Assam Police at the Delhi Airport on February 23. He was, however, granted interim bail hours later by the Supreme Court.
Khera had been booked in two first information reports registered in Uttar Pradesh and one in Assam.
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