Guwahati court rejects plea for non-bailable warrant against Congress leader Pawan Khera

A local court in Guwahati has rejected Assam Police’s plea seeking issuance of a non-bailable arrest warrant against Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case filed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife over allegations related to multiple passports and foreign property.

The order was passed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Kamrup Metro, on April 7. A copy of the order was made public on April 19.

In its ruling, the court observed that the grounds presented by the investigating officer were “entirely based on presumptions and conjectures” and were not supported by material evidence on record.

The court further noted that since the case is cognisable and involves non-bailable offences, the investigating officer already has the authority to arrest under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, if required, following guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court of India.

“In view of the above, the prayer for issuance of a Non-Bailable Warrant cannot be acceded to and hence rejected at this stage,” the court stated.

The case was registered by the Guwahati Crime Branch under sections including 175 (false statement in connection with an election) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on a complaint filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma on April 6.

In her complaint, Sharma alleged that statements made by Khera during two press conferences on April 5, one in New Delhi and another in Guwahati—regarding her allegedly possessing multiple passports, “golden cards”, and foreign property were false and baseless. She also claimed that the documents cited by the Congress leader were “fake, doctored, forged and fabricated” and were intended to mislead the public and create unrest during a sensitive electoral period.

Earlier, Khera had been granted a one-week transit anticipatory bail by the Telangana High Court on April 10. However, the Supreme Court of India later stayed the high court’s order while hearing a plea filed by the Assam government.