New Delhi: Congress leader Pawan Khera welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to grant him anticipatory bail and called it a protection of “individual liberty”. Responding to the X a day after the order, Kheda wrote, “I thank the Honorable Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law…For the second time, Dr. Singhvi and his swift team…have protected my freedom amidst constant threats and intimidation by the Assam CM.“In the post, he described the relief as more than personal relief. “My bail is not only a personal victory and a source of relief, but also a warning to those who abuse state power that as long as we remain a constitutional democracy, individual liberty cannot be sacrificed for political vendetta,” he said, ending with “Satyamev Jayate”.The Supreme Court, while granting pre-arrest bail, said the case appeared to arise out of “political rivalry” and stressed that the right to personal liberty under Article 21 must be protected with a high threshold for interference. A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and AS Chandurkar said the criminal process should be implemented with “impartiality and caution” to ensure that it is not influenced by political considerations.Kheda was accused of making allegations against the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, including claims of multiple passports and undeclared foreign assets. The court noted that both parties had exchanged allegations, and said that custodial interrogation was not required at this stage in the case, adding that the veracity of the claims could be tested during the trial.Setting aside the Gauhati High Court’s earlier order, the bench held that its observations were “erroneous” and appeared to place the burden unfairly on the accused. Also, the court directed Khera to cooperate fully in the investigation, appear before the authorities when required and refrain from influencing evidence or leaving the country without permission.In his post, Khera thanked senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi for their support, while also thanking party workers who “stood by me with their voices and prayers.” He further said, “No matter how terrible a lie may seem, the truth always wins.”