“Supreme Court Rejects Enforcement Directorate’s Request Regarding Arvind Kejriwal’s Campaign Statements”
In Short
- ED points to AAP chief’s remark that he will be back from jail if INDIA bloc won
- Supreme Court refuses to comment on the matter
- Court says it did not make an ‘exception for anybody’
The Supreme Court declined the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) plea to take action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his election campaign speeches.
The ED argued that Kejriwal’s statement suggesting he wouldn’t return to jail if the INDIA bloc won the elections was disrespectful to the judicial system.
The objection from the ED stemmed from Kejriwal’s remarks during his campaign, where he implied that his return to jail, scheduled for June 2, would not be necessary if the AAP won and the INDIA bloc came to power following the Lok Sabha election results on June 4.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta brought up Kejriwal’s statement before the court, questioning its validity.
However, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, while welcoming criticism of the court’s decisions, emphasized that the court’s order regarding Kejriwal’s surrender date remains unchanged.
He reiterated that the rule of law applies to everyone, including Kejriwal, and the court had not made exceptions for anyone.
Arvind Kejriwal, who faces charges related to a money laundering case connected to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, had been granted interim bail by the Supreme Court to participate in election campaigning.
However, he is required to surrender and return to jail by June 2, as per the court’s order.
During his rallies in Delhi and Haryana, Kejriwal evoked emotions by recalling his arrest just before the Lok Sabha polls and the challenges he faced, including being denied insulin doses for his blood sugar in Tihar Jail.
Kejriwal’s campaign speeches included statements such as, “I have to go back to jail on June 2. I will be watching the results on June 4 from the jail.
If you work hard and make the INDIA bloc win, I will come back on June 5.”