Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted an interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who is senior to Justice Datta, is in line to become the next Chief Justice of India when the incumbent CJI DY Chandrachud retires in November 2024. Khanna was elevated to the Supreme Court in January 2019. His appointment sparked a controversy as he was appointed directly to the Supreme Court despite 33 judges who were senior to him in age and experience being in line. He is also related to the SC judge Hans Raj Khanna, who resigned from his judgeship during the emergency.
Justice Khanna, born on 14 May 1960, holds a law degree from Delhi University. In 1983, he began his practice in Delhi’s district court. Later, he switched to the Delhi High Court and tribunals. Khanna has practiced in various fields of law, including constitutional law, direct taxes, arbitration, commercial matters, company law, land laws, environment and pollution laws, and medical negligence.
Prior to becoming a Supreme Court judge, Khanna was a judge in the Delhi High Court for 14 years from 2005. According to his profile on the Supreme Court website, he had also argued a number of criminal cases in the Delhi High Court as an Additional Public Prosecutor, and on appointment by the Court as an amicus curia.
In April this year, Justice Khanna dismissed a petition seeking cross-verification of votes cast in EVMs with VVPAT. He was also a part of the Supreme Court bench that struck down the constitutional validity of the electoral bonds scheme.
The SC bench ordered Kejriwal, who was arrested in the money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, to surrender and go back to jail on June 2.
“Kejriwal being granted interim bail after 40 days is no less than a miracle. There is also a divine hint that the prevailing conditions are going to change in the country. His release will pave the way for big changes in the country,” AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said at a press conference. AAP supporters and leaders welcomed the Supreme Court decision.
According to Livemint, the fastest-growing news website in the world, Kejriwal’s release could pave the way for significant political changes in India.
