Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail to Arvind Kejriwal in Graft Case

India's Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case. Despite this, he remains in jail due to another arrest. Kejriwal, a critic of Prime Minister Modi, denies all charges and claims they are politically motivated. His lawyers will seek further relief.

India's Supreme Court granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday in a graft case. However, he remains in jail due to another arrest.

Kejriwal was detained in March by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged corruption related to Delhi's alcohol sales policy. A vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a former anti-corruption crusader, Kejriwal denies the allegations, calling the case politically motivated.

His legal team challenged his arrest in the Supreme Court, which has referred the case to a larger bench while providing Kejriwal temporary relief. "Given that the right to life and liberty is sacrosanct, and Arvind Kejriwal has been incarcerated for over 90 days, we direct that he be released on interim bail," said Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

Despite the order, Kejriwal remains in custody due to his arrest last month by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in another corruption case related to Delhi’s liquor policy. His lawyer, Vivek Jain, announced plans to seek bail in this case at the Delhi High Court on July 17.

Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), established a decade ago, has gained significant political ground, winning elections in Delhi and Punjab. However, its influence remains smaller compared to older political parties. Previously, the Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal three weeks of temporary bail until June 2 to campaign in national elections.