Pawan Khera likens Himanta Biswa Sarma to ‘constitutional cowboy’ in Supreme Court hearing

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on April 30 launched a sharp attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during proceedings in the Supreme Court, likening him to a “constitutional cowboy” and a “Rambo” while contesting criminal charges filed against him.

The remarks were made during a hearing before the Supreme Court, which reserved its verdict on Khera’s anticipatory bail plea in a case registered against him over allegations related to multiple passports and undisclosed offshore properties allegedly linked to the Assam Chief Minister’s wife.

A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar was hearing Khera’s plea challenging the Gauhati High Court order dismissing his pre-arrest bail application.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Khera, argued that the Assam Chief Minister had made several objectionable public remarks against the Congress leader, raising apprehensions about fair treatment if he were arrested.

“Dr B.R. Ambedkar would turn in his grave if he had imagined that a constitutional office holder would speak like a constitutional cowboy or a constitutional Rambo,” Singhvi submitted before the court, referring to Sarma.

He further described the case as “unprecedented” and said certain “unprintable” remarks had been made by the “boss of the boss of the boss of the prosecutor,” in an apparent reference to the Chief Minister.

Singhvi told the court that Sarma had allegedly threatened that Khera would spend the rest of his life in an Assam jail, even though the core issue of the case pertained to allegations involving defamation and reputational damage.

Questioning the need for custodial action, Singhvi argued that many of the invoked sections were bailable and that Khera was neither a flight risk nor interfering with the investigation.

“He is not a flight risk. He is not interfering with evidence and there is no allegation of non-cooperation,” Singhvi said, while questioning why a large police team had travelled to arrest Khera “as if he is a terrorist.”

He also stressed that personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution must be protected, arguing that Khera was an active politician and not a hardened criminal. He claimed the case was politically motivated and a response to allegations raised by the petitioner.

Appearing for the Assam government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the plea and alleged that Khera had circulated fake and doctored copies of passports belonging to the Chief Minister’s wife.

Mehta told the court that Khera had been absconding while simultaneously releasing videos, and maintained that allegations regarding multiple citizenships were false.

He further claimed that forged documents relating to a company registered in the United States had surfaced and that custodial interrogation was necessary to determine who may have assisted in fabricating the documents and whether any foreign elements were involved.

“As an investigating agency, I would like to know how you forged the documents. What was your intent? If you did not forge them, who gave it to you?” Mehta reportedly submitted.

The criminal complaint was filed by Rinki Bhuyan Sharma at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera a seven-day transit anticipatory bail. However, Assam Police challenged that relief before the Supreme Court.

The apex court has reserved its order, with the matter now under close political and legal watch.