'Prolonged incarceration unacceptable'; Supreme Court grants bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday allowed bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy scam. In a decisive verdict, Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said it was against the law to jail someone indefinitely when the trial is unlikely to be complete anytime soon. The decision was taken while considering the petition filed by Kejriwal questioning the CBI arrest.

In the earlier petition filed in the High Court, Kejriwal received an unfavourable verdict, forcing him to move to the apex court. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in the Delhi liquor policy case. The CBI later arrested him on June 26 in a corruption case. Despite receiving bail in the ED arrest, Kejriwal had to continue in Tihar Jail due to CBI’s arrest.

The court in the judgement said they would lean towards liberty when the trial is derailed and said that prolonged incarceration is a crime in such cases.