Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal gets interim bail till June 1 in liquor excise policy case

Supreme Court verdict on Kejriwal: The top court granted an interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, in a major relief to the Aam Aadmi Party amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections. Kejriwal can now campaign for the party in the polls.

The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till June 1 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy. Kejriwal is being imprisoned at Delhi's Tihar Jail after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. He may be released from jail today, and he has been ordered to surrender to prison officials by June 2.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta pronounced the verdict after a brief hearing on an interim bail plea filed by Kejriwal. The plea filed by Kejriwal had challenged his arrest in the Delhi liquor policy case and the subsequent request for interim bail to enable his participation in campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

"He was apprehended in March, and it might have happened before or after. Now, after 21 days, there will be no difference. On June 2, Arvind Kejriwal will surrender, the Supreme Court declared.

During the hearing, Kejriwal's lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, requested the court whether he may be granted temporary release till June 5. Justice Khanna said, "No." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, said the court that Kejriwal should not speak about the issue and surrender on the designated day.

Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 this year and is currently behind the bars at Tihar under judicial custody. On May 7, the bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, had reserved its verdict on interim bail to Kejriwal.

Polling in the national capital will be held in the sixth phase of general elections on May 25 in which AAP is contesting on 4 seats while Congress is fighting on 3 seats.