The Supreme Court of India on Friday, ordered the release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on interim bail in the excise policy case till June 1, 2024.
According to reports, Justice Sanjiv Khanna said that Arvind Kejriwal is required to surrender on June 2, 2024. The Bench added that a detailed order including the reasons for the decision will be uploaded later in the evening.
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ED opposed Arvind Kejriwal’s interim bail
For the unversed, yesterday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the grant of interim relief of the Delhi CM. ED stated that a politician can claim no “special status” higher than that of an ordinary citizen and is as much liable to be arrested and detained for committing offences as any other citizen.
The affidavit filed by ED’s Deputy Director stated that there is no principle that justifies giving differential treatment to a politician for campaigning over a farmer or a businessman who wishes to pursue his vocation.
Opposition’s reaction
Meanwhile, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “We welcome the intervention by the Supreme Court in granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal…We also hope that the prime minister gets enough time after June 4, when he becomes the former prime minister of India, to introspect sitting in Sabarmati Ashram the kind of politics he has indulged in.” He also hoped that former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren also get due justice soon.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “It will be very helpful in the context of the current elections,” she said. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said the country remains steadfast in the pursuit of democracy.”I welcome the interim bail order granted to the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal by the SC. India remains steadfast in the pursuit of democracy,” he wrote on X.
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Backdrop of case
In earlier hearings, the top court indicated that it may consider granting interim bail to the AAP leader in view of the ongoing general elections. It said this is an extraordinary situation and it is not that CM Kejriwal is a habitual offender.
Kejriwal had moved the apex court against the Delhi High Court’s April 10 judgment, which dismissed his plea challenging the ED arrest. The AAP chief was arrested on March 21 and has been in custody since then.
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