Pawan Khera summoned again on May 25 in cases filed by Assam CM’s wife

Congress leader Pawan Khera on May 14 said the Assam Police Crime Branch has asked him to appear again on May 25 for further questioning in connection with cases filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.

Khera was questioned for a second consecutive day at the Crime Branch office in Guwahati over allegations related to multiple passports and undisclosed foreign properties allegedly linked to Sharma.

“The inquiry is going on. Questions are being asked, and I am answering them as part of the process,” Khera told reporters after leaving the Crime Branch office on Thursday evening. He added that he had been “asked to come again on May 25” and would cooperate with the investigation.

The Congress leader said he was cooperating fully with investigators “as every responsible citizen should”, but declined to reveal details of the questioning. Police had earlier questioned him for more than 10 hours on Wednesday before summoning him again the next day.

Before entering the Crime Branch office on Thursday morning, Khera reiterated that he would cooperate with the probe.

The case stems from criminal complaints filed by Sharma against Khera and others at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The charges include cheating, forgery, use of forged documents as genuine, defamation, intentional insult aimed at provoking breach of peace, and making false statements connected to an election.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the investigation would proceed “as per law” and claimed that the Centre had informed the Assam government in writing that the documents circulated by Khera were “fake”. Sarma also asserted that police would be able to file a chargesheet within the stipulated period.

The legal battle over the case has already reached the Supreme Court. Assam Police had earlier visited Khera’s residence in Delhi, though he was reportedly not present at the time.

Khera initially obtained a seven-day transit anticipatory bail from the Telangana High Court. Assam Police later challenged the relief before the Supreme Court, which stayed the transit bail order and directed him to approach the Gauhati High Court.

His anticipatory bail plea was subsequently rejected by the Gauhati High Court, prompting him to move the apex court again. The Supreme Court later granted anticipatory bail to Khera, observing that the dispute appeared to arise out of political rivalry.

Separately, a local court in Guwahati had earlier rejected a plea by Assam Police seeking a non-bailable warrant against the Congress leader.