Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Till June 1 in Excise Policy Case

The Supreme Court on Friday 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.

A Bench comprising Justices Khanna and Dipankar Datta said they will be passing a a detailed order over the matter soon.

The judges earlier 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.

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.

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.

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.