Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday backed down from his stand and furnished a personal bail bond, facilitating his release from the Tihar Jail here in the defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.
After his lawyer furnished the bond, Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha ordered immediate release of Mr. Kejriwal.
Mr. Kejriwal’s U-turn came on the advice of the Delhi High Court. A Division Bench of Justices Kailash Gambhir and Sunta Gupta had advised counsel to suggest to Mr. Kejriwal that he furnish the bail bond pending decision on his plea that there was no need for presenting a bond in a summons case.
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The lawyer, who sought time from the court and met Mr. Kejriwal in jail, later informed the Bench that the AAP leader had agreed to furnish the bond. Actually, he came along with the bond signed by Mr. Kejriwal and showed it to the judges. The judges asked counsel to submit the bond in the trial court.
The court will take up the case for final disposal on July 31. It said Mr. Gadkari and the Delhi Government, respondents, could file replies to Mr. Kejriwal’s petition, if they so desired, within four weeks. The court made it clear that it would first hear arguments on maintainability of the petition.