SC To Hear Arvind Kejriwal Bail Request

He is in Tihar jail…

On Tuesday, 07 May 2024, the Supreme Court will deliberate on whether to grant interim bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

He has been under arrest since March 21 and is currently confined in Tihar jail under judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will begin proceedings by considering the request of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.

The Supreme Court on May 3, hinted at the possibility of granting interim bail to Mr. Kejriwal in light of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Considering the potentially time-consuming nature of the legal proceedings, the court expressed its willingness to hear arguments from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding interim relief to the AAP chief before Delhi elections scheduled for May 25.

During the previous hearing, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, expressed opposition to Mr. Kejriwal's bail, citing statements made by AAP leader Sanjay Singh following his release on bail in a related case.

"We are not commenting on it either way. We are just saying we will hear on interim bail and not saying we will grant interim bail. We may or may not grant interim bail," the Supreme Court had said.

Given his current legal predicament, the bench has questioned Mr. Kejriwal's official duties, particularly in signing official documents.

Additionally, fresh controversy started after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe against Mr. Kejriwal, alleging political funding from the banned group 'Sikhs for Justice.'