Supreme Court Grants Bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Excise Policy Case.
New Delhi:
In a significant development ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy corruption case. The Bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, ordered Kejriwal’s release on a personal bail bond of Rs 10 lakh and two sureties of the same amount.
Kejriwal was released from Tihar Jail today following the completion of procedural formalities with the trial court and jail authorities. He is the seventh accused to be granted bail in the ongoing excise policy scam investigation, joining other high-profile figures such as AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh.
The Supreme Court imposed several conditions on Kejriwal’s bail. He has been restrained from visiting the Chief Minister’s Office and the Delhi Secretariat. Additionally, he is prohibited from signing official files unless necessary for obtaining clearance from the Delhi Lieutenant Governor. The Court also barred him from making public statements about the case, interacting with witnesses, or accessing official files related to the case.
The Bench’s decision followed a split opinion on the validity of Kejriwal’s arrest. Justice Kant upheld the CBI’s June 26 arrest of Kejriwal, while Justice Bhuyan criticized the timing of the arrest, noting that it followed Kejriwal’s earlier bail in a related money-laundering case.
This ruling comes after a tumultuous legal journey for Kejriwal, including an earlier interim bail granted by the Supreme Court on July 12 and subsequent challenges in both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. Kejriwal had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 and was released on interim bail in May to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections. Despite being surrendered on June 2, the legal battles continued until today’s Supreme Court decision.
