The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera until February 28 in an FIR over his comment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress leaders earlier claimed that he was arrested by the Assam Police from Delhi Airport.
Khera was on his way to Raipur for the Congress plenary session when he was arrested. "He was detained by the Delhi Police on a request by Assam Police. We were just extending support to them. The arrest has been made by them," a senior Delhi Police officer said. Drama escalated at terminal one of the domestic airport in Delhi where flight staff told Congress leaders there was confusion with Khera's bags. They said police was on its way and would explain the reason to him. Several Congress leaders raised slogans against the government while on the tarmac.
Supreme Court hears the case
The matter was mentioned in the Supreme Court today by Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. He sought a prayer that all FIRs lodged against the Congress leader be clubbed into one. So far, complaints against him have been filed in Assam, Lucknow and Varanasi. The court henceforth, sought response of Assam and Uttar Pradesh governments on clubbing of multiple FIRs against the Congress leader.
Khera recently referred to the prime minister as "Narendra Gautamdas Modi" while criticising the Central government over the row involving the business conglomerate headed by Gautam Adani. Delhi BJP on Tuesday staged a protest near Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's residence here, demanding an apology over her party spokesperson Pawan Khera's "disgraceful" remark.
A case has been registered at Haflong police station in Assam against Khera under various sections of the IPC, including 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national interest), 500 (punishment for defamation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), for his alleged remarks against the prime minister.
(With PTI inputs)
