The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it may grant Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal intgerim bail to allow him to campaign for his party in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. However, the top court made it clear that the AAP chief will have to abide by several conditions. The Enforcement Directorate, which has arrested Kejriwal in the liquor scam case, opposed the Supreme Court’s move saying that it will set a bad example for other accused facing similar charges.
The Bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, according to the Bar and Bench website, said, “Suppose we grant interim bail on account of elections. Then if you say you will attend to office then it may have cascading effect.. Dr Singhvi if we give any interim bail we do not want you to be performing official duties as somewhere it will lead to conflict. We do not want interference at all in the working of the government.”
Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Kejriwal in the Supreme Court.
The Bench also made it clear that it was still considering the options and had not made up its mind on granting interim bail.
“Let us see whether at all it (interim bail) should be given or not,” it said.
Singhvi assured the court that Kejriwal will not sign any files as ling as the Lieutenant Governor ‘may not stop any work on the ground that I have not signed any file.’
Opposing the interim bail for Kejriwal, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju asked, “The Court is allowing the doors of contingencies just to let out this one person and the public prosecutor will not be able to argue ever if a kirana owner comes. I know these are inconvenient arguments.”
The court said that it will hear the matter again on 9 May or the next week.