NEW DELHI – In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The verdict was delivered at 10:30 am by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan.
Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 26 while in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), had challenged his arrest, describing it as an “insurance arrest.” The Supreme Court had previously granted him interim bail in the ED case.
The bench ruled that Kejriwal’s arrest was legal, stating, “There is no merit that section 41(a)(3) was not complied with…the Investigating Officer stands absolved from giving any reason for the same.” However, Justice Bhuyan expressed a differing opinion, noting that the CBI’s arrest of Kejriwal appeared to be an attempt to frustrate the bail granted in the ED case.
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As part of the bail conditions, Kejriwal must:
– Appear before the trial court
– Refrain from commenting on the matter
– Not sign any official documents
– Not visit the Chief Minister’s office
With this bail, Kejriwal joins four other opposition leaders – Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, K Kavitha, and AAP’s Durgesh Pathak – who have been released after arrests in connection with this case.