Hours after the Supreme Court order, Kejriwal walked out of the Tihar Jail after spending 50 days in judicial custody. He thanked the Supreme Court judges for granting him interim bail and the people for their blessings. “We have to save the country from dictatorship, I will fight with all my might but need the support of 140 crore people,” he told the media.
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The Supreme Court on May 10 granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal until June 1 in a money laundering case stemming from the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. He has been asked to surrender to the prison authorities by June 2.
He is likely to participate in a roadshow in South Delhi for AAP’s candidate Sahi Ram Pehelwan. This will be his first roadshow since his bail. “Our country is more than 4,000 years old. It’s a great country but whenever anyone has tried to be dictatorial in the country, people haven’t let them win. Today, the country is going through this dictatorial rule and is fighting against it but 140 crore will have to come together to fight it. I appeal to everyone to fight this together,” he said after he reached his home.
A Bench comprising Justices Khanna and Dipankar Datta said they will be passing a a detailed order over the matter soon. Earlier, they pointed out that it would be wrong on the part of the Chief Minister to exercise his official duties or sign files if he were to obtain interim bail. “Such a development would have a cascading effect,” Justice Khanna observed.
Watch: What was the New Delhi Excise Policy all about?
Meanwhile, Opposition leaders have welcomed the decision, saying the “fight to save democracy” will now be with more intensity. 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 and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said she was happy that Mr. Kejriwal got interim bail. “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.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said justice and relief to Mr. Kejriwal against the “dictatorial regime” in the country was a huge sign of winds of change. Another Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi called it a “big win” for Mr. Kejriwal.
Also read: AAP lodges complaint about ED’s affidavit opposing bail to Kejriwal
On Thursday, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) opposed the grant of any interim relief to the AAP supremo saying that if “unscrupulous” politicians are given bail for campaigning, none of them can ever be arrested, as elections are an “all-year-round phenomenon” in India. Such relief would incentivise every criminal to be a politician and be in campaign mode throughout the year while committing rampant offences, the agency said in a 44-page affidavit. Reacting to the development, leaders of the BJP said that Mr. Kejriwal was declared innocent in the Delhi Excise policy case. The party’s Delhi unit president Virendra Sachdeva said, “Sometimes even criminals are released on parole, and this is a legal process, so it does not prove that Kejriwal, who was the main culprit in the multi-crore liquor scam, is innocent today.”
After the ED filed its affidavit, the AAP, in a press release, said that a complaint was lodged with the Supreme Court’s registry since the affidavit is a “blatant disregard of legal procedures”, considering that the matter is already slated for a final decision in the top court on Friday.
Also Read: Why did the Delhi High Court uphold Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in excise policy case? | Explained
Mr. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21, barely days after the Model Code of Conduct for the general election was declared on March 16. He is currently lodged in the Tihar jail on his sixth stretch of remand till May 20.
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