Delhi excise policy: Arvind Kejriwal walks out of Tihar Jail 6 months after arrest
Delhi excise policy: After having spent more than six months in jail, AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walked out of Tihar Jail on Friday evening. Senior AAP leaders and workers welcomed Kejriwal. Earlier in the day, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the excise policy case.
After being released from Tihar Jail, Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said, "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 power who are trying to weaken the country and divide the country..."
Notably, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case registered by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan granted bail to Kejriwal saying prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty. The apex court granted bail to Kejriwal, subject to bail bonds of Rs 10 lakh.
It also put certain conditions on the release of Kejriwal on bail, saying he shall not make any public comments about this case. He shall be present for all hearings before the trial court unless exempted.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, in a separate judgment, questioned the CBI for arresting Kejriwal, saying that such action by CBI raises serious questions on the timing of the arrest and such an arrest by CBI only fractured the bail granted in the ED case.
Justice Bhuyan said it would be a travesty of justice to keep Kejriwal incarcerated when he was on bail in the ED case. He further said Kejriwal was granted bail in the ED case and further detention in the CBI case was wholly untenable.
Justice Bhuyan also said bail was the rule and jail was an exception. "The process of trial or steps leading to arrest should not become harassment," said the judge.
The CBI arrest is "unjustified" and thus Kejriwal should be released forthwith, said Justice Bhuyan.
- PTC NEWS
