Telangana HC Grants Pawan Khera One-Week Transit Anticipatory Bail in Assam FIR Case

Telangana: The Telangana High Court on Friday provided a significant legal reprieve to Congress leader Pawan Khera by granting him a one-week transit anticipatory bail. This decision comes in the wake of an FIR registered against him by the Assam Police following controversial statements made during a press conference.

Justice K. Sujana, presiding over the matter, pronounced the order after reserving the verdict on Thursday. The court’s directive specifically allows Khera a seven-day window to approach the appropriate jurisdictional court in Assam to seek regular bail. While granting this interim protection, the court imposed certain conditions on the petitioner, emphasizing the temporary nature of the relief.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Khera, characterized the actions of the Assam Police as an exercise in “political vendetta” and “jungle raj.” He argued that the multiplicity of charges invoked against his client was designed to exert undue pressure on a prominent political opponent. Singhvi questioned the necessity of the heavy-handed approach adopted by the state machinery, likening the situation to the “wild west” where legal procedures are bypassed for political gains. He further described the aggressive pursuit of a defamation complaint as the behavior of “constitutional cowboys.”

During the hearing, the defense highlighted that the FIR was a direct response to allegations Khera had raised regarding the assets of the Assam Chief Minister’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma. Singhvi contended that even if the statements made by Khera were found to be factually incorrect, the resulting legal matter should be treated strictly as a case of defamation. He criticized the inclusion of various criminal sections, suggesting that they were added merely to facilitate arrest and intimidate the Congress leader. Furthermore, the defense maintained that Khera is a law-abiding citizen with no criminal antecedents who is fully prepared to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

Addressing concerns regarding the maintainability of the petition in Hyderabad, Singhvi explained that Khera’s wife is a permanent resident of the city. He argued that Khera frequently resides there and was present in Hyderabad when he became aware of the police actions. This connection to the city was presented as a valid ground for approaching the Telangana High Court for transit relief. Singhvi further emphasized that Khera, being a well-known public figure and active politician, does not constitute a flight risk. He argued that the deployment of 100 police personnel from Assam in Delhi to arrest an individual over a defamation complaint amounted to a gross overreach of authority.

Conversely, the Advocate General of Assam, Devajit Saikia, strongly opposed the bail plea and questioned the jurisdiction of the Telangana High Court. He argued that Khera is a resident of Delhi and should have approached the courts in either Delhi or Assam. Saikia suggested that there was no compelling reason or medical emergency that justified Khera seeking relief in Hyderabad. He further alleged that Khera was playing a “fraud” on the court by misleading it about his residency and the nature of the case. The Advocate General dismissed the claims of “political vendetta,” asserting that Assam is not a “banana republic” and that there was no legitimate threat to Khera’s life in the state.

Saikia went on to describe Khera as an “established flight risk” and an “international khiladi.” He cited the fact that Khera was allegedly not present at his Delhi residence when the Assam Police arrived as evidence of him fleeing the legal process. The Advocate General contended that Khera has 19 pending cases against him. He further argued that the petitioner does not deserve legal protection and should be required to face the charges in Assam. The state’s counsel also noted that Khera had been in Assam as recently as April 5 and could have filed for bail there from anywhere in the country.

The legal battle originates from a press conference held by Pawan Khera on April 5, 2026, in Guwahati. During this event, Khera alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma possessed three separate foreign passports from countries including the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda. He further claimed that she held undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai and had made significant investments in shell companies in Wyoming, United States. These claims were supported by documents Khera purportedly shared, which he argued proved assets worth several lakh crore rupees not disclosed in the Chief Minister’s election affidavits.

In response to these allegations, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma filed a complaint at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station. The resulting FIR registered by the Assam Police includes a wide array of charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Specifically, Khera has been booked under Section 175 for false statements in connection with an election, Section 318 for cheating, and Section 356 for defamation. Additionally, the FIR includes Section 338 for the forgery of valuable securities, Section 340 for using forged documents as genuine, and Section 352 for intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace. The Assam Police have also invoked Sections 337 and 340 related to the forgery of public records and electronic documents.

The Sarma family has vehemently denied all allegations, describing them as “false, fabricated, and malicious.” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has publicly stated that he would request the police to verify the authenticity of the passports mentioned by Khera. Meanwhile, the Congress party has stood by Khera, labeling the police raids on his residence as a “witch hunt” and an attempt to silence opposition voices. Khera himself released a video statement from an undisclosed location, asserting that he would not be intimidated by “muscle-flexing” and would continue to seek answers regarding the allegations against the Chief Minister’s wife. He challenged the Chief Minister to clarify the allegations rather than using the state police to intimidate political opponents.

The transit bail granted by the Telangana High Court provides a temporary respite for the Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman. While the court did not enter into the merits of the allegations, it recognized the need for a brief period of protection to allow Khera to seek a regular legal remedy in the state where the FIR was lodged.

The court emphasized that the petitioner has been granted time to move the concerned court in Assam. As the one-week window begins, the focus of this legal saga shifts to the courts in Assam, where the substantive issues regarding forgery and defamation will be examined. This interim protection ensures that Khera will not be immediately arrested by the police team sent from Assam while he navigates his legal defense.

Case Title: Pawan Khera v. State of Telangana