The Aam Admi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal received a big relief on May 10 from the Supreme Court after it granted him interim bail till June 1 in the excise policy case.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Dutta granted the Delhi Chief Minister interim bail in the money laundering case registered against him by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
However, the SC has set strict conditions on its bail order for the AAP chief.
As per reports, Kejriwal is restricted from visiting the CM’s office or signing any files, except where his signature is necessary for obtaining approval from the LG of Delhi.
He is also barred from visiting the Delhi secretariat in the bail period.
Arvind Kejriwal to NOT VISIT OFFICE OF CM, DELHI
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) May 10, 2024
NO SIGN OF OFFICIAL FILES BY HIM
NO COMMENT ABOUT CASE
NO INTERACTION WITH WITNESS#ArvindKejriwal #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/ASKovBqvCT
Kejriwal has also been ordered not to make any comments on the current case, not to meet any witnesses in the excise policy case, and to surrender himself on June 2. The bail has been granted on a bail bond of Rs 50,000.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
The ED had opposed his bail in the top court, which was hearing arguments on Kejriwal’s bail plea. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also representing ED, told the bench at an earlier hearing that there can’t be any deviation only because Kejriwal is Chief Minister and asked if the Supreme Court is carving out exceptions for politicians.
Arvind Kejriwal is now likely to join the AAP campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Delhi goes to the polls on May 25.
