Supreme Court to pass order on interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal on May 10

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, May 8

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would deliver its order on granting interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam on May 10.

“We will pronounce the interim order (on interim bail) on Friday. The main matter related to the challenge to arrest will also be taken on the same day,” said Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who headed the Bench that could not complete the hearing on the issue on Tuesday.

Justice Khanna’s announcement regarding the top court’s order on interim bail to Kejriwal came after Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who represented the Centre in a case on Central Goods and Services Tax, sought to know if Kejriwal’s matter would be taken up on Thursday. Raju is appearing for the Enforcement Directorate in the excise scam cases.

Kejriwal had failed to get an immediate relief in a money-laundering case linked to the excise policy scam on Tuesday as the Supreme Court deferred the hearing on interim bail to the AAP leader to May 9 or next week to allow him to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

The Bench, however, clearly hinted at granting interim bail to Kejriwal in view of the Lok Sabha elections. "He (Kejriwal) is an elected Chief Minister of Delhi. The elections are around the corner. These are extraordinary situations. He is not otherwise a habitual offender...or somebody who has been involved in many other cases,” it had said.

The Bench, however, added that it didn’t want Kejriwal to discharge his functions as Delhi Chief minister and sign official files, if released on interim bail to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

"Suppose we release you, and you are allowed to participate in elections, you will be performing official duties...it can have cascading effects...We make it clear, we don't want you to be performing official duties if we release you," Justice Khanna told senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represented Kejriwal.

Currently lodged in Tihar Jail in the national capital under judicial custody after his arrest on March 21, Kejriwal has challenged the Delhi High Court’s April 9 verdict upholding his arrest in a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam. On Tuesday, a Delhi Special Court sent him to judicial custody till May 20.

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