Arvind Kejriwal has said that if you vote for me then I do not have to go to jail on June 2, the solicitor general told the court (File photo: PTI)
The Court, last week, allowed Kejriwal’s release on interim bail till June 1 for campaigning during Lok Sabha Election 2024
The Enforcement Directorate Thursday told the Supreme Court it will soon file a prosecution complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam. The top court, last week, allowed Kejriwal’s release on interim bail till June 1 for campaigning during Lok Sabha Election 2024.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, while hearing the matter, refused to consider ED’s objection to Kejriwal’s statement that if people vote for AAP, he will not go back to jail.
“Arvind Kejriwal has said that if you vote for me then I do not have to go to jail on June 2. How can Arvind Kejriwal say this,” Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta asked raising ED’s objection.
Kejriwal’s counsel Abhishek Manu Shinghvi then refers to a Union Minister’s statement on interim bail to the Delhi CM.
While commenting on interim bail to Kejriwal, the top court said that the bench did not make any exception for anybody and reiterated its verdict regarding the date by which the CM must surrender.
“We welcome criticism of the verdict. We will not go into that. Our order is clear when he has to surrender. It is the order of the Apex court and the rule of law shall be governed by this. We did not make an exception for anybody,” Justice Khanna said.
“Kejriwal should not say this it is like slapping the institution,” the SG opined.
“We will not go into this,” the court added.
“If you push the ‘jhaadu’ (broom) button on May 25, I may not go back to jail,” Kejriwal said had on Sunday at a roadshow in Moti Nagar, under the New Delhi constituency.
Further, appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju told the court, “We are proposing to file the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) against Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. We will do it shortly. It is in the pipeline.” T
The Delhi chief minister was arrested on March 21 in the case. On May 10, the apex court granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. He has to surrender on June 2.
The court, however, barred him from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat, and sign official files unless absolutely necessary for obtaining the lieutenant governor’s approval.
The case relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which has now been scrapped.
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