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The matter was first mentioned by Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi seeking consolidation of FIRs filed against Khera who was deboarded from the plane and arrested. Singhvi had said that he made some statements that he should not have made.
The Supreme Court today clubbed all FIRs filed against Congress Leader Pawan Khera to Hazratganj police station at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
FIRs were filed against Khera over his alleged statements made at a Press Conference against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
When the case was taken up today, CJI Chandrachud questioned as to where the first FIR was registered. SG Tushar Mehta replied saying that it was in Lucknow..
"When we club the FIRs, who made the first arrest would be of no relevance", the CJI said.
"The arrest was made by Assam police, how can the UP court grant bail..", responded SG Mehta.
On a request being made to transfer the FIRs to Delhi, so as to allow for a fair investigation, Court said, "No we will not do that.."
Thus, a bench of also comprising Justices Narasimha and Pardiwala ordered,
"We order and direct that the FIRs registered at Varanasi and Assam shall stand transferred to Hazratganj, Lucknow. The interim order shall stand extended till April 10, 2023. The petitioner would be at liberty to apply for regular bail before the jurisdictional court."
SG Mehta also requested the Court to record in its order that even after the Court's order, the official twitter handle of Khera 's political party had been making similar tweets.
Recently, a counter affidavit was filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh stating that Khera was seeking indulgence of the Supreme Court to stall due investigations into deliberate utterances of defamatory words relating to one of the highest Constitutional functionaries of this Country.
"At the outset it is most humbly submitted that the relief which survives for consideration by this Hon'ble Court is limited to clubbing and consolidation of all FIRs, lodged pursuant to the deliberate attempt of the petitioner to denigrate a constitutional functionary, in one jurisdiction", the affidavit added.
Notably, an FIR was registered against Khera on the ground that he had hurt sentiments of people of the Country as he had deliberately ridiculed the late father of the Prime Minister of India.
The FIR adds that the name of the late father of the Prime Minister had deliberately been uttered as Gautam Das by Khera and he had further deliberately and sarcastically stated that though the name is 'Damodar Das' but his work is similar to that of 'Gautam Das'.
On February 27, the Supreme Court had extended the interim protection granted to Congress Leader Pawan Khera in FIRs filed against him over his alleged statements at a Press Conference against Prime Minister Narendra Modi till March 3, which came to be further extended till today.
On February 23, the Supreme Court had directed a Delhi Court to grant interim bail to Khera. A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had taken up the matter after Khera was arrested from the Delhi Airport in the morning.
Case Title: Pawan Khera vs. State of Assam
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