The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on the interim bail plea of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 10. The plea pertains to a money laundering case connected to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 and has been in judicial custody since then.
During a hearing on May 7, the Supreme Court reserved its order on Kejriwal’s bail plea, expressing concern that granting interim bail could lead to a conflict of interest if he continued to perform his official duties. The court instructed Kejriwal’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, that if interim bail were granted, Kejriwal should refrain from carrying out any official responsibilities.
Singhvi assured the court that Kejriwal would abstain from signing any documents related to the excise policy case. However, he subsequently clarified that Kejriwal would also abstain from signing official documents if released on bail, provided that the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) would not reject them solely because Kejriwal had not signed them.
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear Kejriwal’s bail petition followed a request for clarification from Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who was appearing for the Centre in another case. On the same day, a Delhi court extended Kejriwal’s judicial custody till May 20.
The verdict on Kejriwal’s interim bail plea is highly anticipated, as it will have implications for the ongoing political tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi and the Central government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The AAP has alleged that the money laundering case is politically motivated and aimed at targeting Kejriwal for his criticism of the BJP-led government at the Centre.
