AAP hails Kejriwal bail, attacks BJP-led Union government

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday hailed the Supreme Court verdict granting bail to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as the “victory of truth” and attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government over his arrest amid celebrations at the party’s headquarters.
A hoarding with Kejriwal’s picture and the caption “Satyamev Jayate (truth alone triumphs)” was put up outside the party office where AAP workers gathered in numbers ahead of the verdict. A group of AAP leaders separately gathered at former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s residence as Kejriwal was due to walk out of the prison by Friday evening.
The Supreme Court reiterated bail is the rule, and jail an exception while granting Kejriwal bail. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan gave two judgments days after reserving their verdict. “All courts must ensure that the prosecution and the process of trial does not become a form of punishment,” said Justice Bhuyan. He questioned the timing and manner in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Kejriwal.
Justice Bhuyan said the CBI’s arrest was perhaps only to frustrate the grant of bail to Kejriwal in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case. He underlined CBI must ensure that the perception of it being a “caged parrot” is discarded and that it must be above board.
AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj cited the Supreme Court remarks about the CBI and attacked the Union government. “…the court has clearly said that the premier agency of the country worked with a sense of vengeance…,” Bharadwaj said.
Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said dictatorship will not work in democracy and slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “When a fighter emerges, dictators bow down. Modi’s tyrannical rule could not break the spirit of Arvind Kejriwal. The prison locks were broken and Arvind Kejriwal [will be] released. A mountain of lies is falling. ED, CBI, and the BJP’s false cases have been exposed. Satyamev Jayate,” Singh said on X.
AAP leader Manish Sisodia called Kejriwal’s bail victory of truth. “Today once again truth has won in the fight against lies and conspiracies. I once again pay my tribute to the thinking and foresight of Baba Saheb Ambedkar ji, who 75 years ago strengthened the common man against any future dictator,” Sisodia said in a post on X.
AAP minister Atishi said truth can be troubling, but not defeated.
The AAP has maintained that the cases related to the now-scrapped excise policy against its leaders were fabricated as part of a political conspiracy to crush the party as it was emerging as a strong political alternative to the BJP.
The party, which has full majority government in Delhi and Punjab, has been trying to expand its base in states such as poll-bound in Haryana. The AAP also faces the election in Delhi early next year.
Kejriwal is set to walk out of the jail ahead of the Haryana assembly election, where the AAP has fielded 90 candidates after its alliance talks failed with Congress.
All AAP leaders arrested in connection with the excise policy case have now got bail. Sisodia was released from jail after 17 months, Sanjay Singh after six months, and former AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair after 23 months.
AAP leader Satyendar Jain, who was arrested in a money laundering case in a separate case, remains behind bars.
The ED arrested Kejriwal in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy case on March 21. He was granted 21-day interim bail in May for Lok Sabha elections campaigning.