New Delhi

The BJP on Friday praised the Gauhati High Court’s decision to reject the anticipatory bail plea of Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case linked to allegations made against Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma. The party also criticised Rahul Gandhi for backing Khera.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a video shared on X, said the court order marked another setback for Khera, accusing him of creating controversy through false claims.

He further demanded that Rahul Gandhi apologise for publicly supporting the Congress leader.

Poonawalla alleged that Khera was evading the investigation and urged him to cooperate with Assam Police. Referring to Gandhi’s earlier praise of Khera, he said the Congress leader was now silent and avoiding authorities.

The BJP spokesperson also noted that Khera had failed to get relief from higher courts. He said the Supreme Court had advised him to approach the Gauhati High Court, while the temporary protection granted earlier by the Telangana High Court was not continued.

Poonawalla went on to accuse Khera of trying to politically damage the Assam chief minister by using fabricated and manipulated documents. He claimed the allegations were part of a larger conspiracy aimed at tarnishing Sarma’s image.

The Gauhati High Court on Friday dismissed Khera’s anticipatory bail petition in connection with his claims that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma held multiple passports and owned undisclosed foreign assets.

Justice Parthiv Jyoti Saikia rejected the application, which had been filed earlier this week after the Supreme Court directed Khera to seek relief from the appropriate court in Assam.

At a press conference on April 5, Khera had alleged that the chief minister’s wife possessed more than one passport and overseas properties that were not mentioned in Sarma’s election affidavit ahead of the April 9 Assam Assembly elections.

Following those remarks, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma lodged a complaint at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station, after which an FIR was registered.

Earlier, on April 10, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera seven days of transit anticipatory bail. However, the Assam Police later challenged that order in the Supreme Court.

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On April 17, the apex court declined to hear Khera’s plea and asked him to approach a competent court in Assam for anticipatory bail.