Supreme Court extends interim bail of Pawan Khera till March 17

New Delhi: For Congress leader Pawan Khera, the Supreme Court extended his interim bail till March 17 in the case of him allegedly making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PTI reported.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala in the top court adjourned the hearing on the case for March 17 since the bench had run out of time.

Khera was arrested by the Assam Police.

Further, the bench noted that the replies of Uttar Pradesh and Assam were not on record, and it will hear the plea after the Holi vacation. It made clear that the interim bail granted to Mr Khera will be extended till March 17, when it will hear the matter.

On February 27, the court extended protection to the Khera till Friday.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera was arrested at the Delhi airport.

He was taken off an IndiGo flight to Chattisgarh for a case of alleged insult on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There were petitions lodged against him in Uttar Pradesh and Assam. He was later granted bail by a magisterial court here.

Khera was arrested over an alleged problematic remark on the PM at a press conference recently. While naming the PM, he made a mistake by saying the PM's middle name wrong. He asked his colleague to confirm it. This happened while he was demanding a probe into the Adani-Hindenburg row.

NDTV quoted him, "If Narasimha Rao could form a JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) if Atal Bihari Vajpayee could form a JPC, then what problem does Narendra Gautam Das...sorry Damodardas...Modi have?"

Congress had argued that Khera's tongue had a slip at the conference, and he had apologised then itself.