SC grants interim bail to Pawan Khera, issues notice for clubbing of all FIRs against him to one jurisdiction

Khera was arrested on Thursday at the Delhi airport after being deplaned from a flight to Raipur in connection with his alleged remarks against Modi at the request of Assam Police.

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed senior Congress leader Pawan Khera to be released on interim bail by a Delhi court this evening. The apex court also issued a notice to Assam, and Uttar Pradesh Police to club all the FIRs against Khera.

The Congress approached the Supreme Court after Pawan Khera was arrested by Assam Police at Delhi airport on Thursday. Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi informed the court that Khera apologised and said that it was a mistake, a slip of tongue.

Khera moved the Supreme Court seeking relief in multiple FIRs lodged against him in Assam, and Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow and Varanasi for his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This comes after hours of drama at the Delhi airport involving police from Delhi and Assam.

Khera was arrested on Thursday at the Delhi airport after being deplaned from a flight to Raipur in connection with his alleged remarks against Modi at the request of Assam Police.

Singhvi told the bench that multiple FIRs have been lodged against Khera over his alleged remarks against the prime minister. "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 said. He said due to the statements, multiple FIRs have been lodged against Khera in different states and, currently, Assam Police are at the airport here to take him into custody.

Khera, against whom a case has been registered in Assam, was asked by the Delhi Police to deplane.

Congress leaders accompanying him sat on the tarmac in protest and resisted efforts to take him away without an arrest warrant.

Senior Delhi Police officials later handed over a document from Assam Police seeking their help in arresting Khera. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala accompanied Khera to a police station at the airport where there was a huge deployment of CISF.

A case has been registered at Haflong police station in Assam against Khera under various sections of the IPC for his alleged remarks against the prime minister.

"We are all on the @IndiGo6E flight 6E 204 to Raipur and all of a sudden my colleague @Pawankhera has been asked to deplane," Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, who was also on the flight, said on Twitter. "What sort of high handedness is this? Is there any rule of law? On what grounds is this being done and under whose order?" she said.