New Delhi. The Assam government has approached the Supreme Court against the interim relief granted to Congress leader Pawan Kheda from the Telangana High Court. This case is related to the criminal case registered by Assam Police, in which Kheda is accused of making alleged defamatory statements against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Rinki Bhuyan Sarma. According to the information, the Assam government has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the April 10 order of the Telangana High Court, in which Kheda was granted transit anticipatory bail for a week. This case is registered on the Supreme Court website (under diary number 22236/2026) and is currently in ‘Pending’ status. The petition was mentioned before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, where a speedy hearing has been sought on Wednesday.
The Telangana High Court had given this relief to Kheda by giving him interim protection from arrest, so that he could approach the competent court of Assam and apply for regular bail. Justice K. The single judge bench of Sujana had ordered that Kheda be released on anticipatory bail for a week in case of arrest.
Congress leader Pawan Khera had moved the Telangana High Court for transit anticipatory bail after the case was registered by the Assam Police. He is accused of making defamatory and malicious allegations against Rinki Bhuiyan Sarma.
During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Kheda, had argued that the FIR was a result of political vendetta and the Congress leader was being targeted for raising questions on the Assam Chief Minister and his family. He also said that the allegations, even if considered false, amount to defamation at the most and arrest is not justified.
At the same time, Assam Advocate General Devjit Saikia opposed the petition and said that this petition is not maintainable in the Telangana High Court, because Kheda is a resident of Delhi and there is no concrete reason for seeking relief outside Assam.
Assam Police has registered a case against Kheda under various sections of the Indian Justice Code (BNS), including charges like defamation, forgery and criminal conspiracy. The case was registered after Khera alleged that Rinki Bhuiyan Sarma had multiple foreign passports, undeclared luxury properties in Dubai and shell companies in the US.
This controversy has further intensified the political conflict between BJP and Congress before the Assam Assembly elections. Congress has supported Kheda and alleged that the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government is trying to suppress the voice of political opponents by using the police.
Senior Congress leaders say that instead of taking criminal action, the Chief Minister and his family should answer the allegations.
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