During the hearing of the matter on May 7, the top court had hinted at granting interim bail to Kejriwal in order to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
However, it had also said that if interim bail is granted, Kejriwal would not be allowed to discharge any official duties as Chief Minister.
The ED’s money-laundering probe against Kejriwal stems from a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2022 on a complaint made by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
It has been alleged that a criminal conspiracy was hatched by AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others to create loopholes in the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021-22 to favour some liquor sellers.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 and is presently lodged in Tihar Jail.
The ED had earlier submitted that Kejriwal cannot be treated differently from any other criminal merely because he is a politician.
Kejriwal’s counsel later countered that although Kejriwal, being a Chief Minister, is not immune from prosecution, his rights are not inferior to the rights of any other person.
Source: Barandbench
