New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to the Congress leader in connection with a criminal defamation and forgery case filed by Assam Police on a complaint by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma. A bench of the top court observed that allegations and counter-allegations had been made by both Khera and the husband of the complainant.
A bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Atul Chandurkar heard the matter after Khera knocked on the Supreme Court’s doors following the rejection of his anticipatory bail plea by the Gauhati High Court. The court directed that he be released on bail in the event of his arrest, subject to reasonable terms and conditions as deemed fit by the Investigating Officer. It further directed Khera to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the police as and when required.
The Supreme Court had reserved its judgment, with Khera’s counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi arguing that his client neither posed any flight risk nor was unwilling to cooperate with the probe. “Why is it necessary to humiliate through custodial interrogation?” he asked, pointing out that it was merely a case of defamation.
Calling the case “unprecedented,” Singhvi pointed out that the statements made publicly by Sarma were “unprintable” and added that he had even threatened Khera with a lifetime in prison, likening the comments to those of a “constitutional cowboy” and a “constitutional Rambo.”
