New Delhi: In a huge relief to embattled Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, a Delhi court on Thursday granted him bail in a money laundering case stemming from the alleged excise scam.
Special Judge Niyay Bindu also declined the Enforcement Directorate's prayer to keep in abeyance the bail order for 48 hours to allow the central agency to avail legal remedies like moving a superior court in appeal.
The judge ordered Kejriwal's release on a personal bond of Rs one lakh but imposed certain conditions before granting him the relief, including that he will not try to hamper the investigation or influence the witnesses. The judge also directed Kejriwal to appear before the court whenever required and to cooperate with the investigation.
The judge had reserved the order earlier during the day after hearing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which sought to link Kejriwal to the alleged proceeds of crime and co-accused, and the defence that claimed the prosecution has no evidence to nail the AAP leader.
Kejriwal's lawyers are likely to submit the bail bond before the court tomorrow, after which he would be released from Tihar jail. One the other hand, the ED is also likely to challenge the bail order before a higher court in the coming days.
However, the grant of regular bail to the AAP national convenor will give his Aam Aadmi Party and its allies a stick to beat the Modi government with as, according to Section 45 of the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), bail can be granted only if the judge is prima facie satisfied that the accused has not committed the offence and that he is unlikely to commit any offence while on bail.
The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21, shortly after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from arrest on his petition challenging summonses issued to him.
On May 10, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections, saying he will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2. Kejriwal had surrendered before Tihar jail authorities on June 2 and has been there since then. The trial court had on June 5 denied him interim bail which he sought citing several ailments.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Atishi reacted to the grant of bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by saying 'Satyamev Jayate" (truth alone triumphs). Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the now scrapped excise policy of his government.
"Satyamev Jayate," Delhi minister Atishi posted on X. Feeling vindicated, the Aam Aadmi Party said truth cannot be defeated, only harassed. "Truth can be troubled, not defeated. Rejecting all the objections raised by BJP's ED, the Honorable Court has granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal," the party said in a post on X.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said "truth triumphs". "Faith in the court... Kejriwal ji gets bail... truth triumphs," said Mann in a post in Hindi on X.
Punjab minister Aman Arora said, "Justice can be delayed but not denied... Despite all efforts of ED to keep Sh @ArvindKejriwal ji behind bars, the Hon'ble Court grants bail. Congratulations to all. Satyamev Jayate."
AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib, Malvinder Singh Kang, said it is a huge victory for democracy. "Truth triumphs! Huge win for the people's champion. Our National convener Shri @ArvindKejriwal ji, as he has been granted bail in the politically motivated fabricated money laundering case. This is a huge win for democracy and a clear message against political vendetta politics. This ruling not only reinforces the principles of justice but also sends a strong message about the resilience of our democratic institutions in India," said Kang.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, "No matter how many lies or false stories one say, truth will always triumph. Grateful to Hon'ble High Court for granting bail to @ArvindKejriwal Ji today. Every volunteer, voter and supporter of @AamAadmiParty is elated today."
Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, "Congratulations to ALL. Honourable CM Delhi @ArvindKejriwal got Bail. Faith in Judiciary got Reaffirmed."
The ED is all set to move the Delhi High Court on Friday against the Rouse Avenue court's judgement, official sources said. The federal agency made the decision soon after the Rouse Avenue court granted bail to Kejriwal in the case. As per the source, ED will move its plea against the judgement on Friday morning as the Rouse Avenue court refused the request of the agency to postpone the process of filing a bail bond for 48 hours.
