AAP supremo still can’t enter CM’s Office

Notwithstanding the relaxation in bail conditions by the Supreme Court while releasing him in the CBI’s corruption case in the excise policy ‘scam’, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal still cannot visit his office at the secretariat and sign any official file.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan retained only two bail conditions that he shall remain present before the trial court on each and every date of hearing, unless exempted and fully cooperate in expeditious conclusion of the trial.

It decided to do away with the conditions that the chief minister cannot go to Delhi Secretariat or sign files. However, the relief in the present case cannot be enforced as a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, on May 10, 2024 and July 12, 2024, had imposed these conditions and made clear that they can only be recalled or modified be a larger constitution bench.

Kejriwal will have to seek modification of these restrictions by approaching the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to set up a larger bench.

The top court also imposed a slew of other conditions and directed that Kejriwal be released on bail upon furnishing bail bonds for a sum of Rs 10 lakh with two sureties of such like amount, to the satisfaction of the trial court.

“The appellant shall not make any public comments on the merits of the CBI case, it being sub judice before the trial court. This condition is necessitated to dissuade a recent tendency of building a self-serving narrative on public platforms,” it said.

“However, this shall not preclude the appellant from raising all his contentions before the trial court. The terms and conditions imposed by a coordinate bench of this court vide orders dated May 10, 2024 and July 12, 2024 are mutatis mutandis (with the necessary changes) in the present case,” the Bench said.