Hyderabad/New Delhi, April 8 A day after the Assam police searched his Delhi residence, Congress leader Pawan Khera moved the Telangana High Court on Wednesday seeking anticipatory bail in a case filed in Guwahati related to his allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife.
The chairman of AICC's Media and Publicity Department, who provided his residential address in Hyderabad, requested the court to release him on bail if he were to be arrested.
Khera's wife is from Telangana, and he has a residence in Hyderabad. The state is ruled by the Congress.
The petition was filed on April 7 and will be taken up on Thursday morning.
Khera named the DCP of the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station and the Telangana government as respondents to the petition.
In his petition for anticipatory bail, Khera stated that he is a law-abiding citizen, has no criminal record, and holds a responsible position in the principal opposition party. The Congress leader said he is willing to cooperate in the case against him and therefore requests pre-arrest bail.
The Congress leader had, in a press conference on April 5, alleged that Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, has multiple passports and foreign property, which were not declared in the chief minister's election affidavit. The allegations were rejected as "false, fabricated, and malicious" by the Sarmas.
Based on a complaint by the CM's wife, a case was registered in the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station against Khera under several sections of the BNS, including 175 (false statement in connection with an election), 35 (Right of private defence of the body and of property), and 318 (cheating).
An Assam Police team had earlier visited Khera's Delhi residence to question him, but did not find him there. They conducted a search and claimed to have found "incriminating" material.
Sarma on Tuesday slammed the Congress for "not verifying" the documents based on which it leveled allegations against him and his family. The CM asserted that Khera had "run away" to Hyderabad, but the Assam Police will "hunt him down even from 'pataal' (netherworld)".
In a recorded video addressed to the Assam chief minister from an undisclosed location, Khera on Wednesday accused the BJP leader of "deploying" the state police against him instead of addressing the opposition party's questions.
"Our party had only asked you some questions. Why do you want to silence us? We have asked questions; give us the replies."
He added, "Instead of replying, you are hurling abuses at everyone, you have set the police after me. I am not afraid of them. But I am avoiding them as I have more questions to ask."
Assam will go to polls on Thursday.