Remarks On PM Modi: SC Transfers 3 FIRs Against Pawan Khera To Lucknow, Extends Bail Till April 10
A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said Khera could apply for regular bail before the jurisdictional court in Lucknow.
The Supreme Court on Monday clubbed three FIRs against Congress leader Pawan Khera lodged in various states for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and transferred the matter to Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. The apex court also extended his interim bail to April 10, PTI reported.
A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said Khera could apply for regular bail before the jurisdictional court in Lucknow.
Two of the three FIRs were lodged at the Cantonment police station in Varanasi and the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. The third FIR was registered in Assam.
"We order and direct that the FIRs registered at Police Station Cantt at Varanasi and at PS Halflong in Assam shall stand transferred to Police Station Hazratganj. The ad-interim order (of interim bail) which was passed by this court on February 23, 2023 (extended by the orders dated February 27, March 3) shall be extended for the further period till April 10," the bench, also having Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, said.
During the hearing, referring to the rejoinder filed by Khera, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta alleged that the Congress leader himself did not tender an unconditional apology. The SG said in the rejoinder, Khera claimed that he did no wrong.
"Even after the Lordships' order, the official handle of the party (Congress) to which petitioner belongs has kept on tweeting the same thing which should not have happened. It has never happened in the past in the Indian political discourse. A person who is not a part of public life is maligned like this," SG Mehta said.
"During the course of the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner has reiterated that the petitioner stands by the unconditional apology which was tendered on behalf of the petitioner by Dr A M Singhvi, who appeared on February 23," the Supreme Court noted in its order. The bench said it would go by the apology tendered by the senior lawyer representing Khera.
The court has been extending his bail from time to time after he was arrested by Assam Police on February 23. Khera, who was on his way to Raipur for the Congress plenary session, was arrested by Assam Police after he was deboarded from a IndiGo flight at Delhi airport.
The action against Khera came after he referred to the Prime Minister as "Narendra Gautamdas Modi" while criticising the Central government over the row involving the business conglomerate headed by Gautam Adani. The ruling party has accused him of making fun of the prime minister and his late father.
PM's Modi's full name is Narendra Damodardas Modi, with the middle name Damodardas standing for his father's name, a common practice in many parts of the country.
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