Congress leader Pawan Khera on Monday moved the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a case registered against him by the Assam Police, Live Law reported.

Khera has been accused of defamation, forgery and criminal conspiracy by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Riniki Bhuyan Sarma had filed a first information report against the Congress leader after he claimed on April 5 that he had documentary evidence showing she holds passports of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda. Both the chief minister and his wife denied the allegations. They also alleged that Khera’s claims were based on forged documents.

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On April 10, the Telangana High Court granted Khera transit anticipatory bail for a week.

Transit anticipatory bail is a temporary protection from arrest granted in one state to enable persons to approach the courts where the case has been filed.

However, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court order on April 15.

Khera then filed an application seeking that the stay order be vacated. On Friday, the Supreme Court refused to do so.

The top court also declined to extend the transit bail until Tuesday and directed the Congress leader to approach the Gauhati High Court instead.

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The Supreme Court had said that neither the Telangana High Court’s observations nor its own stay order should influence the Assam court that decides on the Congress leader’s petition for anticipatory bail.

Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged on April 6 that the documents cited by the Congress had been supplied by a Pakistani social media group.

The chief minister 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.