Supreme Court Reserves Order On Arvind Kejriwal's Bail Plea In Liquor Policy Case

Hearing on the interim bail request for Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal in connection with money laundering related to now-scrapped Delhi Liquor Policy has been completed and the Supreme Court has reserved its order.

A two-judge bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta heard the matter and is likely to give relief to Kejriwal.

The court told ED that Arvind Kejriwal is an elected Chief Minister and not a habitual offender. "There are elections... these are extraordinary circumstances and he is not a habitual offender," said Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta's bench, adding "If elections were not there... there would be no question of interim bail."

However, some conditions have been kept for Delhi CM also. Supreme Court told the jailed CM that if he gets bail, he will not perform any duties as a threat of interference in case still looms.

"Suppose we release you, and you are allowed to participate in elections, you will (also) be performing official duties... it can have cascading effects," the court said.

Earlier on May 3, the apex court asked the Enforcement Directorate, who arrested Delhi CM on March 21, grounds for keeping him in custody further.

During the previous hearing, ED's representative Additional Solicitor General SV Raju expressed opposition to 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.

The court also took cognizance of Delhi CM's constitutional duties, including signing official documents and directives, that he is not able to perform due to ED's arrest.

Meanwhile, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe against AAP supremo over allegations of accepting funds from the banned terror group 'Sikhs for Justice.'

Hitting back, AAP leaders condemned LG's recommendation calling it another political ploy orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to stop Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning for the INDIA bloc.