'Don't Want You To Perform Official Duties If Interim Bail Is Granted': SC To Arvind Kejriwal | Top Quotes

‘Don’t Want You To Perform Official Duties If Interim Bail Is Granted’: SC To Arvind Kejriwal | Top Quotes

Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the hearing on granting interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till Thursday or next week in a money laundering case filed by ED linked to the now-scrapped Delhi Liquor policy. “Tentatively we will see if that matter finishes, we will give you a date for the day after tomorrow. If it’s not possible, we will keep it sometime in next week. Next week is going to be very difficult,” Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, as quoted by Live Law.

During the hearing, the apex court said that Kejriwal is an elected leader and “needs to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha Election 2024”. However, the ED opposed the view of the top court saying that the court “may not create separate class for politicians.”

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta during the hearing told Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Arvind Kejriwal, that if the Delhi CM is granted interim bail, he would have to restrict himself from performing any special duties or signing any files.

Top Quotes From SC’s Hearing On Arvind Kejriwal’s Interim Bail:

– “Suppose we grant interim bail on account of elections. Then, if you say you will attend to the office then it may have cascading effect. Dr Singhvi if we give any interim bail WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE PERFORMING OFFICIAL DUTIES AS SOMEWHERE IT WILL LEAD TO CONFLICT. We do not want interference at all in the working of the government. Let us see whether at all it should be given or not,” the bench told Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Arvind Kejriwal.

– Opposing the arguments on Kejriwal’s interim bail, the ED said that a narrative is being built that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has not done anything but was arrested just before polls. “How can a chief minister be treated different than aam aadmi. Are we carving out an exception for a class of politician as A class and he needs to campaign. Would election campaign be more important than a person who wants to run a kirana shop?,” the ED said as quoted by Bar and Bench.

– “If the court calls upon us to answer interim bail, then this court should hear on his role. Only if he is not campaigning the heavens will not fall. Just because they are running out of time, how can this reach here,” ED’s counsel told the court.