SC stays Telangana HC order granting one-week transit anticipatory bail to Pawan Khera
New Delhi (PTI): In a setback to Congress leader Pawan Khera, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Telangana High Court order granting him one-week transit anticipatory bail in a case registered for levelling allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and A S Chandurkar issued notice to Khera and others seeking their responses on the plea filed by the Assam government challenging the Telangana High Court order.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Assam government, told the bench that Khera moving Telangana High Court for bail in a case registered in Assam was a "complete abuse of process" and this would be a case of "forum choosing".
The bench, while issuing notice on the plea, said that operation of the high court order would remain stayed.
It posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.
On April 10, the high court granted one-week transit anticipatory bail to Khera with certain conditions and gave him a week to file an application before the court concerned.
The Congress leader had, on April 5, in a press conference alleged that Assam CM's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, has multiple passports and foreign property, which were not declared in the chief minister's election affidavit for the April 9 Assembly polls in that state.
The Sarmas had rejected the allegations as false and fabricated.
The case against Khera was registered at the Guwahati Crime Branch Police Station under several sections of the BNS sections, including 175 (false statement in connection with an election), 35 (Right of private defence of the body and of property) and 318 (cheating).
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FIR against 2 women corporators of Congress in Indore over refusal to sing 'Vande Mataram'
Indore (PTI): Police registered a case against two women corporators of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Wednesday on the charge of disturbing communal harmony for their refusal to sing the national song 'Vande Mataram', an official said.
During the Indore Municipal Corporation's budget session on April 8, Congress corporator Fauzia Sheikh Alim refused to sing 'Vande Mataram' citing Islamic beliefs.
Another corporator, Rubina Iqbal Khan, who joined the Congress after winning the civic election as an independent candidate, also supported Fauzia's stance and refused to sing the national song.
Talking to PTI, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Amarendra Singh said following a probe into a complaint, a case has been registered against Fauzia and Rubina at the M G Road police station under section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony between different communities).
The police summoned both the corporators for questioning over the past two days and recorded their statements, he said.
"Finally, finding the case prima facie cognisable, we have registered an FIR and initiated a detailed investigation," Singh said.
