'Suffered For 90 Days': SC Grants Interim Bail To Arvind Kejriwal In Liquor Policy Case

In a key development today, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) case against him.

The court's decision comes after Kejriwal had been incarcerated for over 90 days, and his legal team had argued that his continued detention was a violation of his right to life and liberty. The judges took congnisance of this before providing big relief to the Delhi CM.

Photo Credit: PTI

The Supreme Court's bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, noted that the issue at hand involved the right to life and liberty of an individual, which is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution.

The court held that Kejriwal's detention for an extended period without a valid reason was not justified and that he was entitled to interim bail.

The Supreme Court also referred the matter to a larger bench to determine the legal scope of necessity to arrest and the doctrine of proportionality in ED cases.

This move is important, as it could have far-reaching implications for the ED's powers of arrest and the rights of individuals accused of financial crimes.

Kejriwal to Remain in Custody

While the Supreme Court's decision is an important victory for Kejriwal, he will remain in custody due to a separate case being investigated by CBI in the excise policy matter.

Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 on charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy in the excise policy case.

The SC's decision is a major setback for the ED and the Central government, which had been accused of politically motivated witch-hunting by Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).