Remarks against PM Modi: SC issues notice on Pawan Khera's plea seeking quashing of criminal proceedings

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a plea filed by Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera against an order of the Allahabad High Court refusing to quash criminal proceedings lodged against him in connection with the alleged objectionable remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra agreed to examine the matter and issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant - a BJP functionary at whose instance an FIR was lodged.

On August 17, a bench of Justice Rajeev Singh of the Lucknow High Court had refused to entertain Khera's contention that he has tendered unconditional apology before the Supreme Court and therefore, all consequent legal proceedings are liable to be quashed.

"The applicant may appear before the jurisdictional court and raise all his grievances before the court below. In view of the above facts and discussions, the application has no merit and is, accordingly, dismissed," had said the High Court.

In March this year, the top court had ordered clubbing of different FIRs registered against Congress spokesperson in Assam and Varanasi and transferred them to Lucknow. Two FIRs were registered against Khera in UP and one in Assam. On February 23, Khera was stopped from boarding a flight to Raipur and was arrested by Assam Police.

Within hours, the top court was approached and a bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud had granted him interim protection from arrest. In a subsequent hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Khera, had said that his client would tender his unconditional apology for his objectionable comments.

The Uttar Pradesh and Assam governments had submitted before the apex court that no remorse has been shown by Khera over his comments against the PM despite his counsel tendering an apology in the court.