Arvind Kejriwal gets interim bail from Supreme Court, no ban on election campaign, will have to surrender on June 2

The Supreme Court today decided on interim bail in the money laundering case registered against CM Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi Excise Policy case. The court has granted interim bail to Delhi CM till June 1.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, said that the court should direct Kejriwal not to talk to the media in this case.

No ban on election campaign
To this, the bench said that it has already barred Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, who was granted bail in the same case in April, from making any comment on the case. The Supreme Court said that Kejriwal will have to surrender before the jail authorities on June 2. Apart from this, the court has also not banned him from campaigning. Supreme Court lawyer Shadan Farasat, representing Kejriwal, told the media that the court has not imposed any restriction on his election campaign. We will try to get his release today itself.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court pointed out the delay caused by ED in arresting Kejriwal. Justice Khanna told ED that ED registered the case against Kejriwal in August 2022, while arrested him in March 2024. He was there for 1.5 years. His arrest could have happened later or even earlier. 21 days here or there should not make any difference.

Earlier, a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna had told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, counsel for the Enforcement Directorate, that it may pass an order on interim relief to Kejriwal on Friday.

The ED had arrested him in connection with a money laundering investigation related to alleged irregularities in the Excise Policy 2021-22. The bench had on Tuesday indicated to grant interim bail to Kejriwal. The court had said that if he is granted interim bail, Kejriwal will not be allowed to perform any official duties as Chief Minister.

ED had opposed the bail
During the hearing, ED had opposed the bail of Delhi Chief Minister in the court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED in the court, had told the bench in the last hearing that he cannot get relief just because he is the Chief Minister. He asked whether the Supreme Court is making exceptions for politicians? How can a Chief Minister be treated differently from a common man? Is campaigning during elections so important?

Elections are held once in 5 years
On this the bench said that elections are held once in five years. Meanwhile, the legal team of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal raised strong objection to the affidavit filed by the Enforcement Directorate. A formal complaint has been filed in the Supreme Court registry in the case, calling the ED’s affidavit a blatant disregard of legal processes, especially considering that the case is already scheduled for final judgment in the Supreme Court today.

ED did not get even a single rupee
Questioning ED’s objection to CM Arvind Kejriwal’s interim bail, Aam Aadmi Party said that even after two years of investigation by ED in the alleged liquor scam, not a single rupee or evidence has been found. AAP mentioned that the ED illegally arrested a sitting Chief Minister and the national convenor of a national party on March 21, i.e. 5 days after the announcement of general elections and the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct.

The party said that the ED is not only adopting an opaque and dictatorial attitude, but is also trying to lie and suppress the truth. ED has misused its power by arresting him in the middle of general elections. Kejriwal filed an appeal in the Supreme Court, arguing that his arrest after the announcement of general elections was ‘inspired by extraordinary considerations’.

High Court had rejected Kejriwal’s petition
It is noteworthy that earlier on April 9, the High Court had rejected Kejriwal’s plea for release from jail and also rejected his plea of political vendetta amid the apprehension of Lok Sabha elections. The High Court had said that even after receiving 9 summons from ED in six months, Kejriwal did not appear. This undermines any claim of special privileges as Chief Minister. This also shows that his arrest is a result of non-cooperation.

No permission to go to CM office, will not be able to sign any file… Know on what conditions SC granted bail to Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has got supreme relief from the Supreme Court in the money laundering case related to Delhi liquor scam. The court has granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 with some conditions. The court said that during bail, Kejriwal will not make any comment regarding his role in this case. He cannot talk to any witnesses or influence the case in any way. Also, they will not have access to any official file related to the case.

The Supreme Court said that Arvind Kejriwal will not go to the CM office or Delhi Secretariat. Kejriwal will sign official files only when necessary to get LG’s approval. Kejriwal will surrender on June 2. Let us tell you that according to the order of the Supreme Court, now the bail bond will have to be paid directly in front of the Jail Superintendent. That means now there is no need to go to the trial court.

The court granted bail on these conditions
(A) Kejriwal will have to deposit a surety of the same amount along with a bail bond of Rs 50 thousand.
(B) He (Kejriwal) will not be able to go to the Chief Minister’s Office and Delhi Secretariat.
(C) He (Kejriwal) will be bound by the statement given on his behalf that he will not sign official files unless it is necessary to obtain the approval/approval of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
(D) He (Kejriwal) will not make any comment regarding his role in the present case.
(E) He will not interact with any witnesses and will not have access to any official files related to the case.
When was Kejriwal arrested?

ED had arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 in the alleged liquor scam of Delhi. Earlier, ED had issued 9 summons to him for questioning in the case. However, Kejriwal did not appear on any summons. The Central Investigation Agency alleges that he was the main conspirator of the scam and was directly involved in demanding bribe from liquor traders. AAP, which has rejected these allegations, has been saying that there will be no change of leadership in Delhi and Chief Minister Kejriwal will run the government from jail itself.