Supreme Court Hears Arvind Kejriwal's Request For Bail To Campaign

The Supreme Court will deliberate today on whether to grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been under arrest since March 21 and is currently confined in Tihar jail under judicial custody, in connection with a money laundering case linked to the scrapped Delhi excise policy. 

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will begin proceedings by considering the plea of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.  The Supreme Court on May 3, hinted at the possibility of granting interim bail to Mr Kejriwal in light of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Acknowledging the potentially time-consuming nature of the legal proceedings, the court expressed its willingness to hear arguments from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding interim relief to the AAP chief before elections in Delhi that are scheduled for May 25.

During the previous hearing, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, expressed opposition to Mr Kejriwal's bail, citing statements made by AAP leader Sanjay Singh following his release on bail in a related case. 

"We are not commenting on it either way. We are just saying we will hear on interim bail and not saying we will grant interim bail. We may or may not grant interim bail," the Supreme Court had said.

The bench also raised questions regarding Mr Kejriwal's official duties, particularly in relation to signing official documents, given his current legal predicament. 

Additionally, fresh controversy erupted after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe against Mr Kejriwal, alleging political funding from the banned group 'Sikhs for Justice.'

In response, AAP leaders denounced the LG's recommendation as yet another political ploy orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to tarnish Mr Kejriwal's image.