News Mania Desk/ Sohom Chatterjee / 14th September 2024
On Friday evening, September 13, Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener Arvind Kejriwal was released from Tihar jail. This was hours after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the case relating to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. The CM’s lawyers furnished surety bonds before the CBI judge for his release citing the Supreme Court ruling.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with the case. On May 10, the SC granted him an interim bail till June 1 regarding the money laundering case registered by the ED in connection to the recently abolished Delhi Excise Policy. But the court ordered him not to visit the Office of the CM or Delhi Secretariat.
Complying to this order he surrendered on June 2 and on June 26 CBI arrested him from ED custody. Although he was again granted interim bail on July 12, his CBI custody was extended by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court.
Upon his exit from the jail, the Delhi CM was welcomed by a large crowd of AAP leaders and supporters. Sunita Kejriwal, his wife and several AAP leaders accompanied him to his official residence. AAP held a roadshow from the jail to his residence.
Kejriwal addressed the supporters outside the jail by saying, “Today I want to say that I have come out of jail and my courage has increased 100 times…The walls of their jail cannot weaken the courage of Kejriwal…I will pray to God to continue showing me the right path, and I will continue fighting against all the powers who are trying to weaken the country and divide the country.”
Prior to the exit from jail, some of his supporters were seen bursting crackers in front of his house. The Supreme Court granted the bail on Friday, stating that prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty. The highest court of the country also asserted a few constraints to the bail such as that Kejriwal shall not make any public comments regarding the case and must be present for all hearings before trial court unless exempted.
