North News
New Delhi, September 13
In a major relief for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday after nearly six months of custody in a graft case. The court provided bail on a bond of ₹10 lakh, along with two sureties, and directed Kejriwal to refrain from making public comments on the merits of the case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed charges against Kejriwal and others in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on July 29 in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy. Kejriwal had been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act) for his alleged involvement in the case. The CBI described him as “one of the primary conspirators.”
According to the CBI, Vijay Nair, the ex-media in-charge of AAP and a close aide of Kejriwal, was in contact with liquor producers and traders, allegedly demanding illegal gratification to benefit the party through the excise policy since March 2021. The agency further claimed that ₹44.45 crore was transferred through hawala channels to Goa between June 2021 and January 2022, purportedly to fund AAP’s assembly election campaign. The total bribes received by AAP allegedly amounted to ₹100 crore, as per a previous chargesheet.
Kejriwal was first taken into custody in March in connection with the alleged irregularities in the liquor policy. Although granted bail in July for that case, he remained detained due to his earlier arrest related to the same policy.
