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Supreme Court hears Arvind Kejriwal’s interim bail plea

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, May 7: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal may now be hopeful of getting an interim bail from the Supreme Court. The apex court has remarked that Lok Sabha elections amount to extraordinary situations while Kejriwal is not a habitual offender.

Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta in their observations seemingly have importance to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal is the face of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). His party faced a major setback after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the Delhi Chief Minister in the alleged excise scam.

Justices Khanna and Datta asked the ED to come prepared on May 9 when the apex court bench will hear the interim bail for the chief minister, according to a report of Live Law. The two judges made clear to the ED that Kejriwal is not a habitual offender.

Incidentally, Kejriwal remains the chief minister. He has gained the distinction of a serving chief minister working from behind the bar. The ED arrested Kejriwal on March 21.

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The Live Law reported that the Justices rejected the argument of the ED that there other jail inmates who could also ask for similar relief in the name of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. But the judges refused to entertain the argument, saying that the Lok Sabha elections come only after five years while Kejriwal is not a habitual offender.

If Kejriwal indeed gets an interim bail by weekend, he would still have missed out from campaigning in Gujarat. The AAP is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Gujrat as part of a seat adjustment with the Congress.

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The AAP had made significant inroads in the Gujarat politics in the state Assembly elections. The AAP suffered a major setback in the absence of Kejriwal since he had been the lead campaigner for the party in Gujarat.

If Kejriwal gets the interim bail, he at best would be able to lead the poll campaign of the party in Delhi. While the AAP is said to have good chance in a couple of Lok Sabha seats in Assem, the polling for all the seats in the state will conclude by evening on Tuesday.

The AAP leader Sanjay Singh had previously got bail from the Supreme Court. The ED had arrested him also in the alleged Delhi Excise Scam. In the absence of the chief minister, his wife Arvind Kejriwal held roadshows in the national capital, as well as Gujarat.

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