In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering probe linked to the Delhi liquor policy case. The three-judge bench also referred Kejriwal’s plea against his arrest to a larger bench.
Despite the interim bail, Kejriwal remains in jail due to judicial custody in a related case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Kejriwal, represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that his arrest following the March 18 General Elections announcement was politically motivated.
Kejriwal had appealed to the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s April 9 order, which upheld his arrest. The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convenor had been detained by the ED on March 21 after ignoring nine summonses.
Responding to the court’s decision, AAP national general secretary Sandeep Pathak described the order as “soothing,” criticizing the ruling party for jailing opposition leaders. Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj expressed confidence that Kejriwal would soon be released, while BJP’s Delhi unit chief, Virendra Sachdeva, emphasised that interim bail does not equate to acquittal and reiterated allegations of corruption against Kejriwal in the excise policy case.
