Guwahati: Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Congress leader Pawan Khera, referred to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as a “constitutional cowboy” during a hearing in the Supreme Court on Thursday, April 30.
He also compared him to “Rambo” while responding to criminal allegations in the case.
The remarks were made during the hearing of Khera’s anticipatory bail plea in a case involving allegations of multiple passports and undisclosed overseas assets linked to the Chief Minister’s wife. The Supreme Court later reserved its order in the matter.
A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar considered Khera’s petition against the Gauhati High Court ruling that denied him pre-arrest bail.
Singhvi argued that Sarma had made several public statements against the Congress leader, creating concerns about fairness in the event of arrest.
He told the court that B.R. Ambedkar would have been shocked to see a constitutional office-holder speaking in a manner he described using the term “constitutional cowboy” and “constitutional Rambo,” referring to the Chief Minister.
Singhvi described the case as highly unusual and said inappropriate remarks had been made by senior levels of the prosecution hierarchy, indirectly pointing to the Chief Minister’s office.
He also claimed Sarma had allegedly warned that Khera could spend his life in Assam jail, even though the case primarily involved allegations of defamation and reputational harm.
Questioning the need for arrest, Singhvi argued that several charges were bailable and said Khera was not likely to flee or obstruct the investigation.
He added that there was no non-cooperation from Khera and questioned the scale of the police action, suggesting it was excessive for a non-violent case.
Singhvi also stressed that Article 21 of the Constitution protects personal liberty and argued that Khera is a political figure, not a criminal. He alleged the case was driven by political hostility.
On behalf of the Assam government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the bail plea, alleging that Khera had circulated manipulated copies of the Chief Minister’s wife’s passport.
He told the court that Khera had been avoiding arrest while continuing to post videos online and said claims of multiple citizenships were incorrect.
Mehta further alleged that forged documents related to a US-based company had emerged and said custody was needed to determine how the material was created and whether outside involvement existed.
He questioned the source and intent behind the documents, saying investigators needed clarity on how they were prepared and circulated.
The case originates from a complaint filed by Rinki Bhuyan Sharma at the Guwahati Crime Branch police station under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.