Supreme Court to Give Verdict on Arvind Kejriwal's Bail

He is seeking a release from jail to campaign for Election?

On Friday, 10 May 2024, the Supreme Court is all set to give its verdict on interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

He was arrested in a money laundering case and is seeking a release from jail to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

A bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, had reserved its verdict on Mr. Kejriwal's interim bail on May 7.

Mr. Kejriwal, the Chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged liquor policy scam.

He is currently in Tihar jail under judicial custody.

Earlier Tuesday, a Delhi court extended his judicial custody till May 20.

The ED, in its affidavit to the SC, repeated an argument it had made during the last Supreme Court hearing and said that campaigning is part of a politician's job and, following the rule of equality, small farmers or small traders can also seek interim bail to carry out the demands of their work.

It also stressed that Arvind Kejriwal is not contesting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The central agency said that granting bail to the AAP chief would set a precedent that would permit "all unscrupulous politicians" to commit crimes and then evade investigation citing campaigning for one election or the other.