Assam CM wife passports row: Pawan Khera moves Telangana HC seeking anticipatory bail

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, who found himself in hot soup over his claim that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife holds passports from three countries, has approached the Telangana High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the case filed against him in the north-eastern state. His petition, however, was yet to be listed.

Following Khera’s allegations, Rinki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of CM Himanta, had filed a case against him.

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On Tuesday, the Assam Police raided Khera’s residence in New Delhi but the Congress leader was not present at that time.

The police had said that his current location was unknown, adding that efforts are underway to “trace him out”. However, the BJP claimed that Khera had “absconded” to Congress-ruled Telangana.

Speaking outside the residence, a police official said, “A case has been registered… We wanted to talk to Pawan Khera… We couldn’t meet him as he is not here… We found some things in his house, but I will not disclose the details… We don’t know where he is right now, but we will trace him out.”

Reacting to this, the Assam CM had alleged that Khera was trying to avoid questioning. “Assam Police went to his residence, but he absconded,” he said, adding that the Congress leader may have gone to Hyderabad.

Later, the BJP also released a purported video showing Khera in Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders criticised the police visit, calling it excessive and politically motivated.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said the move showed the Chief Minister was “disturbed, desperate and rattled”. In a post on X, he described the police action as a “witch hunt” aimed at silencing opposition voices.