The Assam government on Sunday, April 12, moved the Supreme Court against anticipatory bail to senior Congress leader Pawan Kher in the trial against him. Transit anticipatory bail has been granted by the Telangana High Court in the charge sheet case against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki.
The petition was filed on Sunday through advocate Shuvodeep Roy and is likely to be taken up for hearing this week. Pawan Khera was granted bail on April 10 and given a week’s time to file an application.
The High Court said: “Without commenting on the merits of the case, this Court is of the view that the petitioner has filed an application for anticipatory bail with limited transit as his apprehension of arrest appears to be reasonable and supported by the materials on record.
What were the conditions like?
The condition was that the petitioner would be released on bail in the event of arrest while serving personal arrest for ₹1 lakh with two sureties of like sum each, to co-operate in the investigation and make themselves available for questioning as required by the investigating officer and not to leave the country without the prior permission of the competent court.
The conditions further include that the petitioner shall approach a court of competent jurisdiction in Assam within a specified time and seek appropriate relief and as a public figure shall refrain from making any further public statements in relation to the subject matter of this case which may prejudice the investigation, the order said.
What did Pawan Khera claim?
On April 5, Pawan Khera alleged that Himant’s wife Riniki is associated with a Wyoming firm based in the United States. He said the company is valued at $34.67 billion and lists Himanta Biswa Sarma, Riniki and their son as members.
Pawan Khera further claimed that the funds are worth it ₹52,000 million crowns are to be divided between the three. He also claimed to hold three passports.
“Himant’s wife Rinki Bhuyan Sharma has a company in Wyoming, USA. The list of members of this company includes Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, Himanta Biswa Sarma and their son. The budget of this company is 3,467 million US dollars ($34.67 billion), with plans to open a hotel in America for these three family members. Meanwhile, the money is distributed from the three members of the family company ₹52,000 million crowns,” he said at a press conference.
