New Delhi : The Supreme Court of India has granted interim bail to Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal up till 1 June 2024 in the Delhi liquor policy scam. 1 June marks the last phase – 7th Phase – of the General Elections 2024 with the vote counting set for 4 June 2024.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Department (ED) on 21 March 2024, just a few days after the general elections were announced by the Election Commission of India. This was the first time in independent India’s history that a serving chief minister was arrested.
The 2 Judge bench of the Supreme Court while hearing the case has observed that Arvind Kejriwal was an elected CM and it would be unfair to keep him out of political campaigns for the national elections, stating that it is the right of the voters – the people of India – to know directly from their politicians and political parties about their visions and missions for the nation, before deciding whom to vote for. The Bench also raised questions on the ED regarding the timing of the arrest, asking why the CM was arrested just as the world’s largest elections were declared.
According to the lawyers of CM Kejriwal, the Supreme Court in its bail order has not imposed any restrictions on the CM for political campaigning.
It is to be noted that till date the Enforcement Directorate has not been able to produce any substantial evidence against Arvind Kejriwal in the Supreme Court.
