New Delhi: In this May 22, 2024, photo, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is seen meeting lawyers in New Delhi (Photo: PTI)
In a major victory for the Aam Aadmi Party, its leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in connection with the ongoing probe into the alleged scam surrounding Delhi’s liquor policy.
The court had reserved its verdict on two petitions filed by Kejriwal on September 5. Besides the bail plea, the Aam Aadmi Party leader had also challenged the Delhi High Court order upholding his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation as “legal”.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating the case on charges of money laundering. The Central Bureau of Investigation is also conducting a parallel probe into alleged corruption by officials. The Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal interim bail on July 12 in the Enforcement Directorate probe, but he remained lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation.
K Kavitha and Manish Sisodia get bail
Last month, Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the same case. On August 9, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia was also granted bail after serving one-and-a-half years in jail. During Sisodia’s bail hearing, the Supreme Court used very strong words on the entire inquiry proceedings, observing that denial of bail cannot be a punitive mechanism. “Bail is the rule, imprisonment is the exception,” the high court had observed.
Kejriwal had earlier, on May 10, been granted 22-day interim bail by the Supreme Court ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in June.
Aam Aadmi Party targets Haryana
After the latest Supreme Court verdict, the Aam Aadmi Party hailed it as the “victory of truth.” The Aam Aadmi Party denied all the allegations and said that the case was fabricated by the “dictatorial” Narendra Modi government to “harass” opposition leaders by “misusing” central probe agencies. With Kejriwal getting bail, the Aam Aadmi Party is now expected to focus all its attention on the upcoming Haryana elections.
What is the case about excise policy?
In its chargesheet, the Central Bureau of Investigation alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party benefited from the illegal funds generated through the scam and blamed Kejriwal. It had earlier called the Aam Aadmi Party leader the “kingpin” in the case.
The agency alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government demanded a bribe of Rs 100 crore from certain businessmen, called the ‘southern group’, in exchange for tweaking the excise policy framework in their favour. The probe agency alleged that this bribe was used by the Aam Aadmi Party during the 2022 Goa Assembly election campaign. K Kavitha is alleged to have links with this ‘southern group’.
The investigation into the matter was initiated two months after Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena assumed office in May 2022. Following allegations of misconduct, the policy was rolled back in July 2022.
First publication: Sep 13, 2024 | 11:00 AM IST