May 10th 2024.
The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till June 1, allowing him to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. This is a major relief for Kejriwal who was arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam. However, the court has ordered him to surrender and return to jail on June 2.
The bench, consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, refused the request made by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who was representing Kejriwal, to extend the interim bail till June 5. As per the court's decision, June 1 is the last day of the seven-phase elections and the votes will be counted on June 4. The reasons for granting interim bail to Kejriwal will be provided by the court later.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the interim bail, arguing that Kejriwal should not be allowed to campaign during the elections as it could set a precedent for other cases. However, the bench noted that granting bail for 21 days will not make much of a difference as the ED's case was registered in August 2022 and Kejriwal was arrested only in March this year. The court also pointed out that Kejriwal had been free for one-and-a-half years before his arrest, indicating that he could have been arrested earlier or later.
The court also considered the request made by the ED to impose certain bail conditions, including a restriction on Kejriwal from making any comments about the excise policy case. The bench stated that the conditions would be similar to those imposed on AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who was granted bail in the same case last month.
According to Kejriwal's lawyer Shadan Farasat, the court has given a short oral order and the written order is yet to be seen. He mentioned that the court has released Kejriwal on interim bail till June 2 without any conditions on his statements during the campaigning period. He also added that they are expecting the written order to be uploaded today and will follow the appropriate procedures for Kejriwal's release.
The Supreme Court is also hearing Kejriwal's plea challenging the Delhi High Court's verdict that upheld his arrest in the case. The bench has stated that arguments on his plea will continue next week and they will try to pronounce the judgement before the summer vacations begin on May 20. This case pertains to allegations of corruption and money laundering in the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
