Fri Sep 13 13:07:04 UTC 2024: ## Supreme Court Grants Bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Liquor Scam Case

**New Delhi, India -** Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday, ending nearly six months of detention. The bail was granted in a graft case related to the alleged irregularities in the capital city’s liquor policy.

Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was initially arrested in March by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and subsequently by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in separate cases linked to the same liquor policy. While he was granted interim bail in the ED case in July, his arrest by the CBI kept him in detention.

The Supreme Court bench, presided by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, upheld the legality of Kejriwal’s arrest, but questioned the CBI’s timing, stating that the agency’s aim might have been to prevent his release in the ED case. The court also imposed conditions on Kejriwal’s bail, including a ban on visiting his office or the Delhi Secretariat.

Kejriwal and the AAP have consistently denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.

The AAP has celebrated the bail as a victory of truth, while the BJP has criticized the decision and called for Kejriwal’s resignation.

**Reactions:**

* **Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Arvind Kejriwal:** “Congratulations to AAP family! Kudos for staying strong Wishing also the soonest release of our other leaders.”
* **Manish Sisodia, AAP Leader:** “Today it has been proved once again that this country does not have a staunch, honest and patriotic leader like @ArvindKejriwal ji. BJP hatched many conspiracies to arrest Kejriwal and stop the work of the people.”
* **Sharad Pawar, Congress Leader:** “One thing is clear from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail that the foundation of democracy in the country is still strong.”
* **Gaurav Bhatia, BJP Leader:** “The ‘jail wala’ CM is now a ‘bail wala’ CM. The Supreme Court has shown a mirror to ‘kattar beimaan’ (outright dishonest) Arvind Kejriwal.”

The Supreme Court’s decision will likely have significant political ramifications in the lead up to the 2024 national elections.

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