The Supreme Court has provided much-needed relief to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by granting him interim bail till June 1 in the ongoing liquor policy case. As per the order, the AAP convenor who has been arrested since March must surrender before authorities on June 2.
While hearing arguments in the matter, the bench acknowledged Mr. Kejriwal's stature as the elected representative of the people of Delhi. Referring to the timeline of events, the court opined that a swift investigation is in the interests of all.
The interim bail allows the Chief Minister to resume his duties of serving the citizens and participating in the ongoing election campaign for AAP candidates. Last stage of polling is scheduled for May 25 in the national capital region.
Notably, senior counsel representing the CM had appealed for bail until result declaration on June 4. However, the court decided to restrict the timeframe up to June 1 citing that campaigning must halt 48 hours prior as per code of conduct.
Though the probe agency had strongly objected bail, citing need to prevent misuse of privileges, the top court took into account the specific context of polls. It questioned the lengthy gap between unearthing of matter and initiation of legal proceedings.
With voting dates fast approaching, the relief granted to Arvind Kejriwal enables him to spearhead AAP's efforts to retain all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi won in previous election. The final outcome will become clear on June 4 when counting of votes takes place across India.
