Supreme Court grants interim bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal till June 1

Guwahati: In a major relief to the AAP government in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till June 1 in the excise policy case.

The apex court, however, stated that it would be passing a detailed order on the matter soon.

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the move to grant interim bail to Kejriwal saying that “any special concession” to him will “amount to anathema to the rule of law and equality. Thereby creating two separate classes in the country viz. ordinary people, who are bound by the rule of law as well as the laws of the country, and politicians who can seek exemption from the laws”.

“Let us not draw any parallel. He was arrested in March and the arrest could have been before or after. Now, after 21 days, there won't be any difference. On June 2, Arvind Kejriwal will surrender,” the Supreme Court ruled.

The most important thing is that now Kejriwal will be allowed to participate in political activities, meaning he could campaign for the party, which is what the Delhi Chief Minister wanted to achieve.

Kejriwal’s legal team had made a strong pitch for the Delhi Chief Minister to be released on interim bail to allow him to campaign for his AAP, and the INDIA opposition bloc, before the election for Delhi's seven Lok Sabha seats —all presently held by the BJP — on May 25.