The Supreme Court has granted interim bail to the jailed Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal. The Aam Admi Party Chief is out of Tihar jail for 21 days. His bail is granted, considering his need to campaign for his party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The Aam Admi Party is a constituent of the INDIA block, the group of opposition parties stitched together against the ruling compensation.
Arvind Kejriwal’s temporary release from the confines of Tihar jail is not without conditions. The Supreme Court has put some restrictions on Arvind Kejriwal to be observed during his time out of jail. First and foremost, among it is that he will not discharge any chief ministerial duty.
Kejriwal will have to return to jail on June 2. Delhi is going to the polls on May 25 and Punjab on June 1.AAP is ruling in the two states.
Kejriwal is instructed not to visit the chief minister’s office or the Delhi Secretariat. He is prohibited from making any comment regarding his role or absence of it, in the money laundering case. It is a case, linked to the Delhi excise police, for which Arvind Kejriwal was arrested.
Arvind Kejriwal is ordered not to interact with any witnesses or have access to official files connected with the case. He would not sign official files either unless it is necessary for obtaining clearance/approval from the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
Kejriwal is out on bail bonds of ₹50,000 with one surety of the same amount, to the satisfaction of the jail superintendent. Kejriwal, however, will be allowed to campaign freely without any restriction.
The Supreme Court took the holistic and libertarian view of granting bail for campaigning, as it judged Kejriwal as not a threat to society. It also noted that there are no criminal antecedents, and an interim bail of 21 days will not make any difference to the proceeding of the ongoing case.
The Enforcement Directorate had opposed the bail saying that there is no precedence of a political leader getting bail for campaigning for the election.
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