Congress leader Pawan Khera has received a major relief from the Supreme Court. The court has granted him anticipatory bail in a case involving forged documents and defamation. During the hearing, the Supreme Court stated that the investigation should not be hampered, but granted protection from arrest for the time being.
A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar granted this relief subject to certain conditions. The court stated that if Khera is arrested, he will be granted bail, but he must cooperate fully with the investigation. The court also directed that Khera must appear whenever summoned by the police and not attempt to tamper with or influence any evidence related to the case. Furthermore, he cannot leave the country without the court’s permission.
The Supreme Court questioned the Gauhati High Court’s earlier order, stating that it did not properly assess all the facts and that some conclusions appeared to be incorrect. During the hearing, senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the case was filed under political pressure and that arrests were not necessary. He added that arrests should not impinge on any individual’s liberty.
The Solicitor General, representing the Central and Assam governments, stated that the allegations in the case were serious and that custodial interrogation was necessary for investigation. According to him, several documents were found to be forged during the investigation, necessitating a thorough investigation. The government also stated that the investigation would determine how the forged documents were created and whether other individuals were involved. It also warranted investigation into whether there was a larger conspiracy or foreign connections.
The decision came on a petition filed by Pawan Khera challenging the Gauhati High Court’s order denying him anticipatory bail. The Supreme Court had reserved its decision for April 30, 2026, after hearing arguments from both sides.
Pawan Khera had alleged that the Assam Chief Minister’s wife possessed multiple passports and undeclared assets abroad. Following these allegations, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma filed a criminal case against Khera and others at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
It is noteworthy that Pawan Khera had challenged the Guwahati High Court’s order denying him anticipatory bail on April 24 in the Supreme Court. Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted him transit anticipatory bail for seven days, but on an appeal by the Assam Police, the Supreme Court put an interim stay on this relief and directed Khera to approach the Guwahati High Court.