Arvind Kejriwal granted interim bail by SC till June 1
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, has been granted interim release by the Supreme Court till June 1, which is the last day of voting in the seven-stage 2024 Lok Sabha election. This decision comes as a great relief for the Delhi CM.
The leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, who was detained by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with the purported Delhi liquor excise policy scam, needs to surrender to the jail officials by June 2.
SC grants interim bail to Delhi CM #ArvindKejriwal till June 1 pic.twitter.com/dCKrsQmdI5
— POWER CORRIDORS (@power_corridors) May 10, 2024
In addition, the court declared that other bail requirements would resemble those placed on AAP leader Sanjay Singh after the top court granted him temporary reprieve. Following six months in jail, Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP who was arrested in October of last year in connection with the same case, was granted release.
Most importantly, he was permitted to engage in political activities, which included running for the party’s campaign— a role that Kejriwal is now expected to be able to fulfill as well.
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Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had sought interim bail till June 4
Senior attorney Abhishek Manu Singhvi made an appearance on behalf of the AAP chief, who had already petitioned the Supreme Court to contest his ED detention. Singhvi requested temporary bail until June 4, the day the election results will be announced.
However, the court rejected this, stating that 48 hours before the election, campaigning for the seventh and final round would have ended.
The legal team representing Kejriwal had made a compelling case for the interim release of the Delhi Chief Minister so that he may campaign for his AAP and the opposition INDIA bloc prior to the May 25 for Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats- all held by the BJP.
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The ED, which had been adamantly against Kejriwal’s bail being granted, submitted an affidavit on Thursday detailing its concerns.
The central agency stated that no politician could claim “special status” higher than that of an ordinary citizen and is as liable to be arrested and detained for committing crimes as any other citizen. The agency has come under fire for acting at the behest of the ruling BJP to target and harass its political rivals prior to the election.
The ED contended that Arvind Kejriwal’s request for bail to campaign for the election is not supported by any “fundamental” right. The agency further stated that Kejriwal’s release from jail to campaign for his party’s candidates would be a bad precedent and that no political leader had ever been granted bail for campaigning.
