On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected a plea from Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera seeking the dismissal of criminal proceedings against him related to an alleged comment about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The plea was dismissed by a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta, who were reviewing a special leave petition challenging the Allahabad High Court's decision not to quash the criminal proceedings.

The case revolves around Khera's purported 'Narendra Gautam Das Modi' remark made during a Mumbai press conference. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the State of Uttar Pradesh, highlighted that the response to Khera's petition was based solely on the chargesheet. Despite Khera's emphasis on apologies, the bench questioned the possibility of wishing away an offense.

Ultimately, the court decided to dismiss the special leave petition. The charges against Khera include defamation, promoting enmity, and disturbing public peace. He had been arrested by Assam police in February, but the Supreme Court granted him temporary relief with interim bail. Khera's attempts to have the summons order and chargesheet quashed were also rejected by the Allahabad High Court, which directed him to address his concerns in the jurisdictional court.

Case: Pawan Khera v. State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr.

Special Leave Petition (Criminal) No. 13143 of 2023.