'Big blow to BJP...' Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan hails SC's decision to grant bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published May 10, 2024, 4:47 PM ISTDelhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was granted an interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday (May 10). Following this, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan hailed the SC's decision and said that Kejriwal's bail is a heavy blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party and PM Narendra Modi.
The Supreme Court on Friday (May 10) granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal till June 1 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy. Kejriwal is 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.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hailed the Supreme Court's decision and said that it is a heavy blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Taking to Facebook, CM Pinarayi Vijayan wrote, "The Supreme Court's decision to grant bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is a heavy blow to the BJP's cunning move to subvert democracy and hang on to the government through abuse of power.This verdict will have a decisive impact on the country's democratic history and the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections. No totalitarian power can go on forever suppressing dissenting voices. By undermining the opposition chief minister and suppressing his voice at the election stage itself, the BJP government tried to undermine the very basic principles of democracy."
"The Narendra Modi government is afraid to face the elections by taking the people into confidence and interacting directly with the people. Instead, the Supreme Court's verdict has impacted the illusion that public sentiment can be changed by unleashing communal hatred, exercising excessive power and silencing the opposition," he said.
Kerala CM added, "As the elections progress, BJP's position is deteriorating. The confusion of realizing it is coming out in recent days. This judgment is also an indication that the central government's missteps will not survive judicial scrutiny. The verdict also shows opposition to turning agencies like the ED into political arms."
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.
During the hearing, Kejriwal's lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, asked the court whether he may be granted temporary release till June 5. Justice Khanna said, "No." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, told the court that Kejriwal should not speak about the issue and surrender on the designated day.
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