AAP hails Kejriwal on bail, attacks BJP-led union govt | Delhi Latest News

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday hailed the Supreme Court verdict granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a “victory for truth” and lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led union government for his arrest during a function held at the party headquarters.

A board with Kejriwal’s picture and the caption “Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone triumphs)” was put up outside the party office, where AAP workers had gathered in large numbers ahead of the verdict. A group of AAP leaders had gathered separately at the residence of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as Kejriwal was due to be released from jail on Friday evening.

The Supreme Court reiterated that bail is the rule and imprisonment is the exception, while Kejriwal was granted bail. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan delivered two orders days after the verdict was reserved. “All courts must ensure that prosecution and trial do not become a form of punishment,” Justice Bhuyan said. He questioned the timing and manner in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Kejriwal.

Justice Bhuyan said the CBI’s arrest was only aimed at thwarting the grant of bail to Kejriwal in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case. He emphasised that the CBI must ensure that the perception of him as a “caged parrot” is dispelled and that everything is in order.

AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj quoted the Supreme Court’s observations on the CBI and attacked the Union government. “…the court has clearly stated that the country’s premier agency acted with vengeance…” Bharadwaj said.

Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said dictatorship will not work in a democracy and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “When a warrior comes, dictators bow down. Modi’s tyrannical rule could not break the spirit of Arvind Kejriwal. The prison locks have been broken and Arvind Kejriwal (will be) released. The mountain of lies is falling. Fake cases of ED, CBI and BJP have been exposed. Satyamev Jayate,” Singh said on X.

AAP leader Manish Sisodia called Kejriwal’s bail a victory for truth. “Today, once again, truth has emerged victorious in the fight against lies and conspiracies. Once again, I pay tribute to the thinking and foresight of Baba Saheb Ambedkar ji, who 75 years ago empowered the common man against any future dictator,” Sisodia said in a post on X.

AAP Minister Atishi said the truth may be disturbing but it cannot be defeated.

The AAP maintains that the excise policy cases against its leaders, which have since been scrapped, were fabricated and are part of a political conspiracy to destroy the party, which was emerging as an increasingly strong political alternative to the BJP.

The party, which has a full majority in the government in Delhi and Punjab, is trying to expand its base in states like Haryana that are going to elections. The AAP also faces elections in Delhi early next year.

Kejriwal is expected to leave jail ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, in which the AAP has fielded 90 candidates after alliance talks with the Congress collapsed.

All AAP leaders arrested in the excise politics case have already been granted bail. Sisodia was released after 17 months of jail, Sanjay Singh after six months and former AAP communications chief Vijay Nair after 23 months.

AAP leader Satyendar Jain, arrested in connection with another money laundering case, remains behind bars.

On March 21, the Education Department arrested Kejriwal over alleged irregularities in the currently suspended excise policy case for 2021-22. In May, he was granted 21-day interim bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.