The Gauhati High Court dealt a sharp blow to Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday, rejecting his petition for anticipatory bail in a case brought by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Justice Parthivjyoti Saikia, who had reserved judgment on Tuesday, ruled against the opposition figure in a matter that has swiftly become a flashpoint in the bitter rivalry between the Congress party and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam. The case, registered by Assam Police on charges of defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, stems from a press conference Khera held on April 5, in which he brandished what he claimed were multiple passports belonging to Mrs.

Sarma, alleging undisclosed foreign citizenship and properties. Viewed from New Delhi, Khera’s legal team had argued the complaint was a politically motivated exercise in defamation, but the Assam government countered that the charges—including cheating and forgery—were serious enough to warrant full judicial scrutiny. The High Court’s dismissal follows a similar setback earlier this month, when the Supreme Court refused to grant Khera transit bail, directing him instead to surrender before the Assam courts.

The apex court’s pointed observation that neither it nor the Telangana High Court would obstruct the Assam proceedings has given the BJP fresh ammunition to accuse the Congress of forum-shopping. Meanwhile, sources within the Ministry of External Affairs have undercut Khera’s central claim, stating that all three passports he displayed were found to be fraudulent, and that Mrs. Sarma holds no foreign citizenship.

From the perspective of legal analysts in Guwahati, the cumulative effect of these developments suggests the judiciary is treating the matter with unusual seriousness, potentially narrowing Khera’s options. The Congress leader now faces the prospect of custodial interrogation unless he secures relief from a higher bench. For the BJP, the case offers a convenient opportunity to portray its opponents as peddling fabricated narratives, while the Congress insists the legal system is being weaponised.

As the April 9 Assembly polls recede into memory, both sides are bracing for a protracted courtroom struggle that will test the boundaries of political speech and judicial independence in India’s northeast.