Kejriwal was arrested by ED on alleged excise policy case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail for Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal until June 1 in the alleged excise policy scam case. With the top court’s order, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief is set to resume his election activities, focusing on campaigning in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The key electoral exercise, which commenced on April 19, will conclude with results on June 4.
Delhi chief Minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the investigation. He is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail under judicial custody.
His arrest has been heavily criticised by the Opposition parties, which allege political vendetta by the Narendra Modi government and misuse of central probe agencies against Opposition leaders. The Opposition also raised questions over the “timing” of Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED, which followed less than a month before the Lok Sabha elections.
The SC’s order comes a day after the ED filed an affidavit on Thursday opposing Kejriwal’s plea for interim bail in the top court, saying the right to campaign in elections is neither fundamental nor constitutional.
Kejriwal was in pre-trial detention since April 1, and his wife Sunita has been campaigning for his decade-old party in his absence.
The AAP is also a part of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc of nearly two dozen non-BJP parties, which have come together in hopes of ousting the Modi government. The Delhi CM’s arrest was being seen as a major dent to the elections prospects of the AAP, which heavily relies on Kejriwal’s widespread popularity among the public.
