Supreme Court Grants Bail to Arvind Kejriwal; But Can’t Visit Office Or Sign Files

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pointing out that his “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty” – following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in June, in connection with the alleged liquor excise policy case.

The AAP chief can now be released from jail after remaining there for nearly six months. He had received bail in the earlier case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

The two-judge bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Surya Kant on Friday morning delivered separate verdicts on Kejriwal’s pleas. Both agreed that the Delhi Chief Minister must be released.

On Kejriwal’s objection to the CBI’s arrest after the trial court in Delhi granted him bail in the ED case, the two judges differed. Justice Kant ruled “no impediment in arresting person already in custody (Mr Kejriwal was in ED custody when he was also arrested by the CBI)”, and that there was no merit in the AAP leader’s argument the agency did not comply with the law.

Justice Bhuyan disagreed and questioned the late appearance of the CBI in this case. “It appears (that) only after trial court granted regular bail in ED case that CBI became active and sought custody. It didn’t feel need to arrest for over 22 months…”

However, he, like his colleague, acknowledged that the CBI could not continue to justify keeping Arvind Kejriwal in jail, for nearly six months now.