Picture : Twitter/ ANI
Congress leader and party spokesperson Pawan Khera was arrested on Thursday by Assam Police in connection with an FIR over alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a day of high drama that began with him being deplaned from a flight to Raipur and his party leaders protesting on the tarmac.
Khera, who was in the headlines this week for apparently fumbling on the prime minister’s father’s name during a press conference, was released on interim bail till February 28 by a Delhi court later in the evening on the directions of the Supreme Court.
He had moved the apex court to seek relief in multiple FIRs against him in Assam as well as in the Uttar Pradesh towns of Varanasi and Lucknow. After dictating the order granting interim bail, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, apparently displeased with the Congress leader’s remarks, told senior advocate A M Singhvi, who was representing Khera, “We have protected you (Khera) but there has to be some level of discourse.” “He (Khera) has made statements in a press conference. He has made certain statements which I cannot say in the court but I personally would not have made,” Singhvi, also Khera’s party colleague, said in the apex court.
Without furnishing a copy of FIR & notice, I was deboarded from the aircraft &arrested by Assam Police in an illegal manner. I have complete trust in the judicial system which protected my freedom of expression today, Congress leader Pawan Khera after interim bail granted to him told ANI
BJP govt tried to harass Pawan Khera. I’m happy with SC order, it’s a tight slap on their face. I condemn this action by BJP. In Parliament also, we were stopped from raising issues. They’re trying to eliminate freedom of speech. Democracy in threat, Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president told ANI
