The Supreme Court said on Friday that it would think about granting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal temporary bail in light of the approaching Lok Sabha elections, noting that the hearing on his appeal contesting his detention in a money laundering case related to the excise policy scheme was likely to take some time.
We don’t seem to be able to finish it today. On Tuesday morning, we will post it. One last item, Mr. Raju… We may then address the issue of temporary bail in light of the upcoming elections if it will take some time, as it seems it may. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, was informed by a Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna that “we may hear on that part because of the elections.”
The Bench, which had previously requested an explanation from the ED on the date of Kejriwal’s arrest, urged the ASG to exercise consideration and follow the investigative agency’s lead on the matter of temporary bail for the AAP leader. The Bench asked Raju to recommend any terms that the ED would like to apply to Kejriwal in the event that he is granted provisional bail. It also scheduled a follow-up hearing for May 7 and requested clarification from the investigation agency over the Delhi Chief Minister’s ability to sign documents while incarcerated.
“We won’t be making any comments on it. We might give (interim bail) or we might not. don’t take it personally,” the Bench stated, despite Raju’s declaration that he would reject provisional bail.
