Today, on May 10th, 2024, the Supreme Court said that Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, can get bail for 21 days. They also told him to give himself up on June 2. This is one day after the Lok Sabha elections finish. Arvind Kejriwal is the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party.
The Supreme Court decided to give Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, temporary bail until June 1. Arvind Kejriwal was accused in a scam related to Delhi’s excise policy. During the court meeting on Tuesday, they were worried about him doing his job if he was let out during the election time. So, they waited to decide.
Kejriwal asked for bail until June 4, when they’ll announce the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But the court said no and told him to turn himself in on June 2. The decision of Interim Bail to Kejriwal was given by 2 Judges, Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. They both are Supreme Court judges.
Outside the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office in Delhi, people were happy about this news. They shouted and cheered to celebrate Kejriwal getting temporary bail. The interim Bail of Arvind Kejriwal is big news in the ongoing case against him.
Why was Arvind Kejriwal jailed?
On March 21, 2024, Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in a case about corruption related to liquor. This happened after the Enforcement Directorate raided his house. Outside his home, his supporters and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers protested his arrest. It was right after they released data about Electoral bonds, which showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 60 crore rupees from the alleged leader of the liquor scam, Sarath Chandra Reddy’s Aurobindo Pharma Limited.
Kejriwal was kept in custody until March 28, 2024, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Before this, he ignored nine requests to appear before the ED. The High Court of Delhi denied his appeal for bailing him out.
In June 2022, there were complaints about a big scam in the Delhi excise policy, which was later cancelled. One complaint was filed by Anil Kumar Chaudhary, the former Delhi Congress president. Kejriwal and his friends were blamed by their political rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for selling liquor licenses and taking illegal money from private sellers. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said they had proof that AAP got a lot of money from a liquor company.
