Supreme Court grants bail to Pawan Khera, but warns ‘there has to be some level of discourse’
During the hearing, Pawan Khera’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, argued that the language used by Khera during the press conference was incorrect, and he did not endorse it.
As a result, the Supreme Court has instructed a Delhi court to grant interim bail to the Congress leader, who was taken into custody by the Assam police for reportedly making offensive comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the press conference.
Congress leader Pawan Khera was on his way to attend the Congress plenary session in Raipur when he was asked to deboard the IndiGo flight at Delhi airport and detained by the Delhi police.
The Assam police later arrested him in connection with a case registered at Haflong police station under sections 153A, 153B, 500, and 504 of the Indian Penal Code, related to his alleged derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress leader Pawan Khera had approached the Supreme Court seeking relief in multiple FIRs lodged against him. During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Khera, argued that the language used during the press conference was erroneous and that Khera did not stand by it.
Singhvi acknowledged that Khera had made certain statements in the press conference that he would not have made personally.
During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi argued that the multiple FIRs lodged against Pawan Khera in different states were deliberate harassment. Singhvi urged the Supreme Court to consolidate all the FIRs into one jurisdiction.
Supreme court to Khera ‘there has to be some level of discourse’
The court granted interim bail to Khera and cautioned that there should be a certain level of discourse in public discourse.
The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera, who was arrested by the Assam police for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a press conference.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud ordered Khera to be produced before a competent magistrate in Delhi and issued notices to the states of Assam. Uttar Pradesh regarding the multiple FIRs lodged against him.
Khera’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, argued that the FIRs in different states was a deliberate form of harassment and urged the apex court to consolidate all FIRs into one jurisdiction.
However, Chandrachud cautioned that “there has to be some level of discourse” even as Khera was granted protection.
During a press conference, Pawan Khera reportedly made a derogatory remark about Prime Minister Modi’s name, seemingly in reference to the controversy surrounding Gautam Adani.
Khera demanded a joint parliamentary probe into the Adani-Hindenburg row and compared it to previous investigations conducted under Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
While referring to the Prime Minister, Khera stumbled over his middle name and referred to him as “Narendra Gautam Das…sorry Damodardas…Modi,” reportedly confirming the middle name with a colleague.
Khera later claimed that it was a slip of the tongue and should not be taken seriously.
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