Supreme Court Grants Bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Excise Policy Case

New Delhi, September 13: The Supreme Court has granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. This decision was welcomed by many, including Delhi Minister Gopal Rai and AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar.

Reactions from AAP Leaders

Delhi Minister Gopal Rai expressed his happiness, stating, “Congratulations to everyone. Delhi CM is coming out now. There is joy among people. This judgement has sent a message across Delhi and the entire country that no matter how strong the dictatorship is; it has to lose one day.”

AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar added, “All the conspiracies against him have now failed. This is a big victory that the Supreme Court has granted him the bail. The whole fake scam planned by the BJP is now uncovered. There will be a huge celebration when the son of Delhi will arrive.”

Supreme Court’s Decision

The Supreme Court, with a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, granted bail to Kejriwal, stating that prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty. The bail was granted with a bond of Rs 10 lakh.

Political Reactions

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari welcomed the decision, accusing the central government of misusing central agencies against opposition parties. He said, “First Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren got the bail and now it is Arvind Kejriwal. The Supreme Court found this case to be bailable. The central government is misusing central agencies as the frontal organisations against the Opposition parties. There is an environment of fear in the country. The judgement has come after detailed discussions on all aspects. This is a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court and we welcome it. BJP and Modi to government should learn their lessons. This is not appropriate to harass the opposition leaders in a democratic country.”

RJD MP Manoj Jha also commented, saying that the court’s decision sends a clear message to the BJP about the misuse of agencies.

BJP’s Response

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari argued that the bail does not make Kejriwal innocent. He said, “The court has affirmed Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest as valid. What is AAP celebrating? Since when does ‘Bail make someone innocent’? The Court has not passed a single observation on the merit of the case. Kejriwal is barred from entering the CM office, or signing any documents. Why should the people of Delhi suffer under a leader who can’t even perform his duties even after being 150 days in jail like criminals accused of serious crime?”

Background

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, 2024, in connection with a money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. On June 26, 2024, he was arrested by CBI while in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate in the excise case.