THE Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the corruption case lodged by the CBI in connection with the Excise Policy ‘scam’, saying prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan granted the relief to Kejriwal on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh, and two sureties of like amount. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the ED in the Excise Policy case on March 21, was granted interim bail on May 10 for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls and has been in jail since June 2 when he surrendered.

 

he top court directed Kejriwal not to make any public comment on the merits of the case and added that terms and conditions as imposed in the ED case would also be applicable here. The top court, while granting him bail in the ED case, had said that Kejriwal cannot visit his office or the Delhi Secretariat and not sign any official file unless absolutely necessary to obtain the Lieutenant Governor’s sanction. It said completion of trial was unlikely to occur in the immediate future and rejected the apprehension of tampering by Kejriwal. In his first remarks after being released from the Tihar Jail, Kejriwal said he will continue to fight “anti-national” forces working to weaken the nation, and asserted the incarceration has only strengthened his resolve. Hours after the Supreme Courtgrantedhimbailinthe Delhi Excise Policy case, Kejriwal stepped out of the jailtoa resounding welcome byhispartyleadersandsupporters. Addressing party workers from the sunroof of a vehicle, Kejriwal raised slogans of ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.

 

“I want to thank people who prayed for my release. Youhavebravedraintocome here and I am thankful to you. Every drop of my blood is dedicated inthe service of my nation. In my entire life, I have faced difficulties but theGodhasalwaysbeenwith me,” he said. Kejriwal stressed that the jail time has strengthened his resolve. “They put me in jail to breakmebutmy resolve has only grown stronger. Jails cannot break me. I will continue my fight against antinational forces,” he said. Hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party(AAP)workersandsenior party leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister BhagwantMannand former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, were waitingoutsidetheprisontowelcome Kejriwal. 

 

 

OBSERVING that Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI in the Excise policy case was unjustified, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Friday slammed the agency, and said it must dispel the notion of being a caged parrot. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan granted him bail in the case. Writing a separate concurring judgement granting bail to the AAP supremo, Justice Bhuyan questioned the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI and said its aim was to frustrate the grant of bail to him in the Enforcement Directorate case. ind any illegality in the CBI arrest.Justice Bhuyan wrote in his judgmentthattheCBI is a premier investigating agency and it must not only be above board, but also be seen to be so. “Every effort mustbemadetoremoveany perceptionthatinvestigation wasnotcarriedoutfairlyand that the arrest was made in a high-handed and biased manner,” he said. “Inafunctionaldemocracygovernedbytheruleoflaw, perception matters. Like Caesar’s wife, an investigating agency must be above board. Not long ago, this court has castigated the CBI comparing itto a caged parrot. It is imperative that CBI dispels thenotionofitbeing a caged parrot. Rather, the perceptionshouldbe thatof an uncaged parrot,” he said. Noting that CBI case was registered on August 17, 2022,JusticeBhuyansaidtill the arrest of the Kejriwal by the ED on March 21,theCBI did not feel the necessity to arrest Kejrwal though it had interrogated him about a yearback--onApril16,2023. “It is evident that CBI did notfeelthe need and necessity to arrest the appellant fromAugust17,2022tillJune 26, 2024 i.E. For over 22 months. It was only afterthe Special Judge granted regularbailtotheappellantinthe EDcasethattheCBIactivated its machinery and took the appellantintocustody.“Such action on the part of theCBI raises a serious question mark on the timing of the arrest; rather on the arrest itself. For 22 months, CBI doesnotarresttheappellant but afterthe learned Special Judge grants regular bail to the appellantintheEDcase, CBI seeks his custody,” Justice Bhuyan said.