In a major relief for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered his release on interim bail in the excise policy case until June 1. A bench presided over by Justice Sanjiv Khanna ruled that the AAP supremo must surrender on June 2. The Bench, which also includes Justice Dipankar Datta, stated that a detailed order outlining the reasons for the decision would be uploaded later in the evening.
On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the grant of interim relief, arguing that a politician has no "special status" above that of an ordinary citizen and is just as likely to be arrested and detained for committing crimes as any other citizen.
Even though Kejriwal is not a contesting candidate, no political leader has been granted interim bail for campaigning, according to the affidavit, which also states that if a contesting candidate is in custody, he is not granted interim bail to campaign.
Briefing the media on the SC's bail order, Kejriwal's lawyer Shadan Farsat says, "There is no restriction on his election campaigning. We will try for his release today itself."
#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal gets interim bail till June 1
Supreme Court lawyer Shadan Farasat representing Kejriwal says, "There is no restriction on his election campaigning. We will try for his release today itself." pic.twitter.com/k7miOKKo7V
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2024
The ED contended that approximately 123 elections have occurred in the last five years, and that if interim bail is granted for campaigning, no politician can be arrested or placed in judicial custody because elections are an all-year phenomenon.
In previous hearings, the top court indicated that it might consider granting interim bail to the AAP leader in light of the ongoing general election. It stated that this is an extraordinary situation, and that CM Kejriwal is not a habitual offender.
Kejriwal had petitioned the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's April 10 decision, which dismissed his plea challenging the ED arrest. The AAP chief was arrested on March 21 and has been in custody since.
