The Supreme Court of India has declined to extend the transit anticipatory bail earlier granted to Pawan Khera by the Telangana High Court, according to ANI.
Khera had requested additional time to approach a court in Assam in connection with a case accusing him of making allegations against Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Following the order, Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly said that Khera should surrender before the law, adding that avoiding legal proceedings would only worsen his situation and urging him to present himself before authorities in Guwahati, Indian Express reported.
A bench comprising Justices J. K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar clarified that neither the interim protection granted by the Telangana High Court nor the Supreme Court’s earlier stay should influence the Assam court that will hear Khera’s anticipatory bail plea.
The bench emphasised that any such application must be decided independently on its own merits, without being affected by prior judicial orders. It also noted that Khera is free to approach the appropriate court, and if it is not functioning, he may seek recourse through the registry.
The FIR against Khera was filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma after he made allegations during a press conference, claiming she possessed multiple foreign passports and undisclosed assets in Dubai. She dismissed these claims as malicious and fabricated, and subsequently filed a complaint in Guwahati on charges including defamation and forgery.
After the FIR was registered, a team from the Assam Police conducted a search at Khera’s residence in Delhi, though he was reportedly in Telangana at the time.
The Assam Police later challenged the Telangana High Court’s order that had granted him one week of transit anticipatory bail subject to conditions, including approaching a competent court in Assam for further relief.