SC grants bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in liquor policy ‘scam’ case
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
The court had reserved its verdict on two petitions filed by Kejriwal on September 5. Besides the bail plea, the Aam Aadmi Party chief 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 for money laundering charges.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is also conducting a parallel probe into the alleged corruption by public servants.
The top court had granted Kejriwal interim bail on July 12 in the Enforcement Directorate probe, but he remained lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail due to his Central Bureau of Investigation custody.
Last month, Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha was granted bail in the same case by the Supreme Court. On August 9, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia was also granted bail after serving a jail term of 1.5 years.
During Sisodia’s bail hearing, the top court used very strong words over the entire probe procedure, noting that refusal to grant bail cannot be a punishment mechanism. “Bail is the rule, jail is the exception,” the top court had noted.
Kejriwal had earlier been granted interim bail of 22 days by the apex court on May 10 in view of the Lok Sabha elections in June.