The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, who was arrested by the Assam Police for commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Khera was arrested at the Delhi airport while boarding a flight to Chhattisgarh, and the Congress had approached the Supreme Court against the arrest. The court ordered the clubbing of all the FIRs lodged against him and directed that Khera be released on interim bail till February 28.
During the hearing, senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought the clubbing of all the FIRs lodged against Khera and expressed concern over multiple FIRs. He told the court that Khera’s tongue had slipped, and he should be saved from punitive actions. The court played the video clip of Khera’s statement and asked how the case under 153(a) was made.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said that Khera’s comment was made against an elected Prime Minister and that the facial expressions and laughter all around could be seen when he made the remark. The court issued notices to Assam and Uttar Pradesh and ordered that Khera be released on interim bail on behalf of the Magistrate. The interim order will remain in force till Tuesday.
CJI DY Chandrachud reprimanded Khera and asked for some level of dialogue. Singhvi clarified that he did not support Khera’s statement. The court also directed Khera to file a regular bail petition in the concerned court during the interim bail period.
In conclusion, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera and ordered the clubbing of all FIRs lodged against him for his comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.