Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court denied Congress' media and publicity chairman Pawan Khera anticipatory bail today. This development has paved the way for the Assam Police to arrest Khera at any time.
Briefing the media here today, the Advocate General of the Assam government, Devajit Saikia, said that Khera and his advocate did not submit any material evidence in support of his allegation that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma had three passports in as many countries and property in Dubai and the USA. On the contrary, in its preliminary investigation, the Assam Police has already proved that the allegations levelled against Riniki Bhuyan Sharma are based on fabricated documents, the advocate general said.
Since the accused failed to produce any material documents to support his allegations, the court observed, it is imperative on the part of the police to grill Khera to elicit the truth behind the fabrication of documents, the advocate general said, and added that Khera was also uncooperative with the police in the investigation.
Saikia said that the Assam Police have been investigating the case under 14 sections of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), the prime charges being forgery and cheating with the fabrication of documents. He hatched a conspiracy to influence the election process in Assam with the help of fabricated documents, barely a few days before the Assembly election, he said.
Saikia stated that the investigators must delve into the conspiracy's origins, as Khera himself asserted that individuals from foreign countries had supplied him with documents pertaining to Riniki Bhuyan Sharma. This claim of Khera reeks of a security threat to the nation, as the people from other countries who had provided him the documents might be from countries hostile to India.
Saikia submitted to the court that Khera had entangled Riniki Bhuyan Sharma in the electoral battle to take political mileage since she is a renowned businesswoman and the wife of the Chief Minister of Assam. "The court also agreed that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma is innocent and she is not a politician. Without even looking into the case diary, a convinced court denied Khera anticipatory bail," Saikia said.
Saikia said that the Assam Police have no legal obligation now to arrest Khera. The Assam Police will file the charge sheet soon, and if the charges are proved in the court, the court may sentence Khera to life imprisonment, he added.
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