Delhi CM’s freedom extended for election drive amidst excise policy scam allegations; must surrender on June 2
Arvind Kejriwal addresses supporters outside Tihar Jail. Pic/PTI
In a major relief to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Friday granted him interim bail till June 1 to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said Kejriwal, arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam, will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2. The bench refused the request of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, that the interim bail be granted till June 5.
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AAP workers celebrating. Pic/PTI
June 1 is the last day of the seven-phase elections. The votes will be counted on June 4. The court said reasons for granting Kejriwal interim bail will follow. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, opposed the granting of interim bail to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief on grounds of poll campaigning saying no such precedents are available.
Observing that granting Kejriwal interim bail for 21 days will not make much of a difference, the bench said the ED’s Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) was registered in August 2022 while the chief minister was arrested on March 21 this year. “He (Kejriwal) was out there for one-and-a-half-years. He could have been arrested earlier or after but nothing such thing happened,” the bench told ED.
This is a victory of democracy: Sunita
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita on Friday hailed the Supreme Court’s decision granting interim bail to her husband as a “victory of democracy”
and said the relief is the result of prayers and blessings of millions of people.
‘Will boost people’s faith in democracy’
Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav welcomed SC’s decision, stating this will boost the faith of the people in democracy. “We have been saying BJP and its leaders have caged the establishments of democracy. This will boost the faith of people in democracy,” he said.
‘Happy to see Kejriwal get bail’
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said this would positively impact the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. “I am very happy to see that Shri Arvind Kejriwal @ArvindKejriwal has got interim bail. It will be very helpful in the context of the current elections,” she said on X.
AAP says, Satyamev Jayate
The AAP welcomed the Supreme Court decision on Friday and said truth can be troubled but not defeated. “The dictatorship will end. Satyamev Jayate,” AAP RS MP Sanjay Singh said in a post in Hindi on X. AAP MLA Durgesh pathak told PTI, “We welcome the SC order. Satyamev Jayate!”
Agencies
SC disposes of Soren’s plea
Hemant Soren. File pic/PTI
The Supreme Court on Friday disposed of a plea filed by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren seeking a direction to the high court to deliver its verdict on his petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta observed that the petition has become infructuous as the high court has delivered its judgement on May 3 and Soren has already challenged the same in the apex court.
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