Breaking | Setback for Pawan Khera: Gauhati High Court rejects bail in Assam CM wife remark case

The case stems from allegations made by Congress leader Pawan Khera during a press conference on April 5, where he claimed that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma possessed multiple foreign passports and undisclosed assets abroad.

No relief for Congress leader Pawan Khera, as the Gauhati High Court on Friday rejected his anticipatory bail plea over remarks made against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma. The decision comes days after the Supreme Court stayed the transit bail granted to Khera by the Telangana High Court on April 15 after Assam Police challenged the order.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, filed a criminal complaint with the Guwahati Crime Branch after Khera made several serious allegations against her. The Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station registered an FIR under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to false statements, cheating, forgery, and defamation.

The case stems from allegations made by Congress leader Pawan Khera during a press conference on April 5, where he claimed that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma possessed multiple foreign passports and undisclosed assets abroad.

Khera alleged that Sharma held three foreign passports and presented what he claimed were documents showing she possessed valid passports from the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda. Khera argued that this amounted to violations of Indian electoral laws and corruption, as India does not permit dual citizenship.

He also alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma possessed undisclosed overseas assets, including ownership of a company in Wyoming and properties in Dubai that were not declared in the Chief Minister’s election affidavit.

Congress leader Pawan Khera, who heads the AICC Media and Publicity wing, is currently embroiled in a legal battle over these allegations.

Pointing to several technical inconsistencies in Khera’s “evidence,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife dismissed the claims as “malicious” and “fabricated.” They said the documents contained errors such as surname mismatches (using “SARMA” instead of “SHARMA”), spelling mistakes (such as “Egyptiann”), and the use of publicly available images instead of biometric photographs.

MEA sources later said the documents cited by Khera were fake, further strengthening the Sarma family’s claim that the allegations were baseless and politically motivated.

(This is a developing story.)