Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, after spending six months behind bars. He becomes the fourth major figure to be released in connection with the case, following the release of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Vijay Nair, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha.
Kejriwal's release is expected to be a significant boost for AAP as it gears up for the Haryana Assembly election, where it plans to challenge the ruling BJP and its INDIA bloc partner, Congress.
Kejriwal was first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 on charges of money laundering related to the liquor policy case. Later, on June 26, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested him while he was still in ED custody. Although he was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the ED case on July 12, Kejriwal remained in Tihar Jail due to the CBI’s case.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Kejriwal’s lawyer, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that the CBI’s arrest was an attempt to keep Kejriwal in jail, calling it an “insurance arrest.” Singhvi also emphasized that as a constitutional functionary, Kejriwal posed no flight risk and could not tamper with evidence, which was already collected and documented.
However, the CBI, represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, opposed the bail, claiming that the kickbacks from the liquor policy were used to fund AAP's 2022 Goa Assembly election campaign. Raju also objected to the fact that Kejriwal had not sought bail from the trial court, which is the usual process. Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal bail, paving the way for his release from Tihar Jail.