Overview
- Pawan Khera, who faced an Assam FIR over claims about the chief minister’s wife, received anticipatory bail Friday with conditions to cooperate, avoid tampering with evidence, and seek court permission before any foreign travel.
- The bench said the allegations and counter-allegations look politically motivated, so custodial interrogation is not warranted at this stage.
- The Supreme Court called the Gauhati High Court’s reasoning erroneous for shifting the burden onto the accused and for invoking a BNS section not cited in the FIR.
- The investigation continues into alleged forged passport images and related documents, with the state asserting the materials were fake and seeking to trace sources and any foreign links.
- Friday’s order follows an April 24 High Court refusal and an earlier Supreme Court stay of Khera’s transit bail, in a case filed after Riniki Bhuyan Sharma complained over his multiple-passport allegation under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions on false election statements, forgery, and defamation.