Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday told the Telangana High Court that the forgery and criminal conspiracy case registered against him by the Assam Police “reeks of political vendetta”, reported Bar and Bench.
Khera had moved the High Court seeking transit anticipatory bail after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma filed a first information report against him, according to Live Law.
The FIR was filed after the Congress leader claimed on Sunday that he had documentary evidence that showed that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds passports of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda. Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife refuted the allegations.
On Thursday, the High Court reserved its verdict in the matter.
Appearing for Khera, advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court that the FIR invokes “every possible offence one can dream of”, reported Live Law.
“You are not fighting your political opponents politically, but through vicious unjustified misuse of law,” Singhvi told the court. “Because you want to silence me...It is disproportionate.”
On the other hand, Assam Advocate General Devajit Saikia asked why the Congress leader had moved the Telangana High Court, though he lives in Delhi and the case has been registered in Assam, reported Bar and Bench.
“There is no indication that he cannot come to Assam,” Saikia was quoted as saying. “Assam is not a banana republic. There is no threat to his life.”
Hearing the case, Justice K Sujana also asked Khera why he had not moved a court in Assam to seek relief.
On Tuesday, the Assam Police went to Khera’s home in Delhi to question him in connection with his allegations.
Khera was not at home when the police arrived, and the authorities searched the house, said Assam Police Assistant Commissioner Debojit Nath.
Nath added that electronic devices and “incriminating material” were seized from Khera’s home. However, he did not disclose what the material was.
On Monday, Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that the documents cited by the Congress had been supplied by a Pakistani social media group. He had added that his wife had filed a first information report against Khera and others.
He had also claimed that the Congress had used details from a passport that had been allegedly lost. This document, he claimed, had been uploaded to the Pakistani social media group. “They photoshopped it,” he said at a press conference.
The case against the Congress leader has been registered at the Crime Branch Police Station in Guwahati.
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