India, April 9 -- The Telangana high court on Thursday reserved orders on a plea by senior Congress leader Pawan Khera seeking protection from arrest in connection with an FIR registered by the Assam Police on a complaint by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Khera approached the high court seeking anticipatory bail before single judge justice K Sujana, arguing that no arrest was warranted in what was, "at the highest", a case of alleged defamation, and accusing Sarma of using the state police to harass and intimidate him.

Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Khera, told the court that the Assam CM was acting with political vendetta and, in sending his state police after Khera, was beh...