In what comes as a huge relief for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Supreme Court, on Friday, granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy which has been scrapped.
He has been granted bail for campaigning in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The court has granted bail to Kejriwal till June 1. He has been asked to surrender before the court on June 2, a day after the polling ongoing Lok Sabha elections will end.
A bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, granted bail to the Delhi CM. The bench refused the request of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, that the interim bail be granted till June 5, a day after the votes are counted on June 4.
The top court’s decision will enable Kejriwal to walk out of Tihar Jail and campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party and Opposition allies for the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections. The Delhi Chief Minister had approached the SC seeking interim bail in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.
Polling in the national capital will be held in the sixth phase of general elections on May 25 in which AAP is contesting on 4 seats while Congress is fighting on 3 seats.
Questioning the delay of ED in arresting Kejriwal, the apex court observed: “For about one and half years he was there… The arrest could have been made afterward or before. 21 days here or there should not make any difference.”
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 this year and is currently behind the bars at Tihar under judicial custody. On May 7, the bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, had reserved its verdict on interim bail to Kejriwal.
Reacting to the news, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a tweet, said she is “very happy” to see Kejriwal getting bail, and added that it “will be very helpful in the context of the current elections.”