Telangana HC grants one-week arrest protection order to Pawan Khera

Telangana HC grants Pawan Khera a one-week arrest protection order amid allegations regarding Assam CM's wife and passport issues.

The Telangana High Court on Friday passed an order granting one-week transit anticipatory bail to Congress leader Pawan Khera in a criminal case registered by Assam police over his ‘allegations’ that the Assam Chief Minister’s wife had three different passports.

Justice K. Sujana said in the order that the leader was being granted the relief in the event of his arrest in the case, subject to some conditions. The judge directed the petitioner to approach the local court concerned to secure a regular bail in the case after the said period.

The judge directed the petitioner to make himself available for interrogation as required by the latter. The judge directed Mr. Khera, being a public figure, to exercise restraint while making any further comments on the subject matter, which may prejudice the investigation.

The Congress leader knocked the doors of the Telangana HC by filing a criminal petitions seeking anticipatory bail in the case registered by the Gauhati Crime Branch over his charges that Assam CM’s wife had three different passports.

While the Gauhati HC Advocate General Devajit Saikia contended that the petition was not maintainable on the point of HC’s territorial jurisdiction since the case was registered in Assam, Supreme Court senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi argued Mr. Khera’s wife lived in Hyderabad and hence he had right to move the HC.

The issue of territorial jurisdiction ‘is no longer res integra’ in view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Priya Indoria case, the judge observed. The apex court held that a High Court or Sessions Court can grant limited transit anticipatory bail even in case of a First Information Report registered outside its territorial jurisdiction, Justice K. Sujana noted.