The Supreme Court is set to deliberate today on whether to grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal has been in custody since March 21, confined in Tihar jail under judicial custody, in connection with a money laundering case linked to the scrapped Delhi excise policy.
A bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will hear the plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader. The Supreme Court, in a previous hearing on May 3, hinted at the possibility of granting interim bail to Kejriwal, considering the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The court expressed its readiness to hear arguments from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding interim relief to the AAP chief before the Delhi elections scheduled for May 25.
During the last hearing, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, opposed 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 stated.
The bench also raised concerns about Kejriwal's official duties, particularly in relation to signing official documents, given his current legal situation.
Furthermore, fresh controversy emerged after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe against Kejriwal, alleging political funding from the banned group 'Sikhs for Justice'. In response, AAP leaders denounced the LG's recommendation as yet another political ploy orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to tarnish Kejriwal's image.
