Arvind Kejriwal gets bail: The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said that “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”. Kejriwal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged liquor excise policy case.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo, first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 and then by the CBI on June 2, will walk out of jail almost six months after his arrest. He had been lodged in Tihar Jail since and has continued to run the Chief Minister’s Office from behind bars.

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While granting bail to Kejriwal, the Supreme Court listed some conditions for the Delhi Chief Minister to follow, including those set when he got relief in the ED case. These include:

  • Release subject to a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh, along with two sureties.
  • The appellant will not make any public comment on the merits of the case.
  • Conditions imposed in ED matter shall apply in this case also and he shall fully cooperate with the trial court.
  • Kejriwal can’t enter the Chief Minister’s office or the Delhi secretariat while out on bail.
  • The Delhi CM cannot sign official files without Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s consent.

Kejriwal had filed his petitions seeking bail and challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), calling it “illegal” in the excise policy case.

The SC bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, stated that the “Arrest by the CBI also does not suffer from any procedural infirmity”, Live Law reported. However, the Supreme Court said that the belated arrest by the CBI was unjustified and asserted that prolonged imprisonment “amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”.

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The Delhi CM was arrested on March 21 in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged liquor policy scam by the Enforcement Directorate. He was formally arrested by the CBI on June 26.

He was granted bail in the ED case on July 12 by the Supreme Court but he could not walk out of jail as he was also arrested by the CBI.