The Supreme Court of India has refused to grant relief to Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case registered by the Assam Police.

Khera had moved the Court seeking an extension of the transit anticipatory bail earlier granted to him by the Telangana High Court. However, the Supreme Court refused to extend the protection and instead directed him to approach the Gauhati High Court for appropriate relief.

A Bench comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar made it clear that Khera should file his anticipatory bail plea before the competent court in Assam, which would decide the case independently and on its own merits.

The Court also disposed of Khera’s plea challenging its earlier order that had stayed the transit bail granted by the Telangana High Court.

The case against Khera involves allegations of defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. These stem from his remarks claiming that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife possesses multiple foreign passports and undisclosed overseas assets.

Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera interim protection from arrest for a week to allow him time to approach the appropriate court in Assam. That relief was later stayed by the Supreme Court, which has now refused to extend it further.

During the hearing, Khera’s counsel sought a brief extension of protection, citing the weekend court closure. The Supreme Court, however, questioned why he had not approached the Assam courts directly in the first place.