After Arvind Kejriwal's Bail In ED Case, AAP Accuses BJP Of 'Another Conspiracy'

Notably, Kejriwal will remain in jail as he is currently being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a separate case related to the alleged excise policy scam.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the ED in the money laundering case (Image: PTI)

Source : PTI

''Satyamev Jayate', said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday after the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister and party chief Arvind Kejriwal in an excise policy case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Addressing the media, AAP leader Atishi hailed the apex court's verdict and alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is using the state machinery to keep the Delhi chief Minister in Jail.

She said the top court's verdict proves the excise policy case is a conspiracy by the BJP against Arvind Kejriwal. 

"BJP knew that he (Arvind Kejriwal) has been granted bail by the Rouse Avenue Court, they know that he will get bail by the Supreme Court too. That is why, they hatched another conspiracy, and on the day on which the bail hearing was scheduled to come up before the Supreme Court, they made CBI arrest Arvind Kejriwal a day before that," she said.

ED Case में सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने दी CM @ArvindKejriwal को जमानत | Important Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/s6h1yCuwGl

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) July 12, 2024

Questioning Kejriwal's arrest by CBI, Atishi said, "Why was he arrested by the CBI? Because if he received bail in the ED case, he would come out of jail and work for the people of Delhi 10 times faster... I would like to tell the BJP today, one after the other - every court in this country has exposed your conspiracy... every court is granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal. I would like to tell BJP, end your arrogance and stop hatching conspiracies against other parties. Truth can be troubled but not defeated..."

Notably, Kejriwal will remain in jail as he is currently being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a separate case related to the alleged excise policy scam.

Speaking on the matter, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj called the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) a 'black law' and accused ED of acting with bias against Kejriwal. 

"The provisions for bail under this are so difficult that it is almost impossible to get bail... First, the lower court granted him bail and observed that "ED is acting with bias"... So, today's bail by the Supreme Court is a huge thing. Centre had anticipated that the Supreme Court would grant him bail in the ED matter. So, to ensure that he continues to be in jail even after bail, the CBI arrested him... The burden of proof lies on the CBI. So, I don't think there will be much issue. It's just a matter of time, Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail," he said.

In a big relief to Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to the Delhi Chief Minister in a money-laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate linked to the Delhi liquor policy. Delivering the verdict, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said Kejriwal has suffered incarceration for over 90 days and that the court is "conscious he is an elected leader."

A Time-Line Of Cases Against Arvind Kejriwal

• On May 17, the bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, had reserved its verdict on Kejriwal's plea. The apex court had on April 15 sought a response from the ED on Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest in the money laundering case. 
• The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief has challenged in the top court the April 9 order of the Delhi High Court that had upheld his arrest in the case. The high court had upheld Kejriwal's arrest in the case, saying there was no illegality about it and that the ED was left with little option after he skipped repeated summonses and refused to join the investigation. 
• The Delhi Chief Minister was arrested on March 21 by the ED in the money laundering case. On June 20, he was granted bail by a trial court here on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh in the case. 
• However, the ED had moved the Delhi High Court the next day and contended that the trial court's order granting bail to Kejriwal was perverse, one-sided and wrong-sided and that the findings were based on irrelevant facts. 
• The high court, on June 21, imposed an interim stay on the trial court's bail order till passing of an order on ED's application for interim relief. On June 25, the high court had passed a detailed order staying the trial court order. 
• Kejriwal was also arrested by the CBI on June 26 in connection with the corruption case related to the alleged excise policy scam. The matter relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which has now been scrapped.