Bail for Kejriwal

DELHI Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s prolonged stay in jail has come to an end weeks before the Haryana Assembly elections, with the Supreme Court granting him regular bail in the corruption case lodged by the CBI in connection with the excise policy ‘scam’. He is now free to campaign for AAP candidates but cannot make any public comment on the merits of the case. Nor can he discharge his duties as the CM as normal. Despite the restrictions and riders, Kejriwal and his party have every reason to feel relieved. They are also feeling vindicated as one of the two judges on the SC Bench that gave him bail, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, questioned the timing of his arrest by the CBI. The judge observed that the probe agency’s aim was to scuttle the grant of bail in the money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Over the past few months, the Delhi CM has found himself helplessly wedged between these Central agencies, with both giving no quarter. Even the interim bail granted by the apex court in July in the ED case brought no relief to him as he remained behind bars over the CBI case. Well aware of the ground reality — the trial is not likely to be completed in the near future — the court has done the right thing, constitutionally as well as legally, by ordering Kejriwal’s release. No less important is the court’s rejection of the apprehension that the CM may tamper with evidence.

Nevertheless, Kejriwal is under judicial scrutiny — and so too is the CBI. Mincing no words, Justice Bhuyan has asked the agency to dispel the notion of being a ‘caged parrot’ — an infamous tag that is hard for it to shed. If the CBI has a watertight case against the CM, it should not be bothered about whether he is out on bail or in jail. If not, its credibility will take another hit, buttressing the Opposition’s charge of political vendetta.