To oppose interim bail for Kejriwal, ED draws parallel with jailed Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh
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TNR Desk
Opposing interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday (May 10, 2022) drew a parallel between the Aam Aadmi Party supremo and pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam under the National Security Act.
After several days of arguments, the Supreme Court on Friday finally granted interim bail till June 1 to Kejriwal. A Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta ordered the Delhi Chief Minister to surrender on June 2.
Vociferously opposing the interim bail to Kejriwal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for the ED, cited the case of Amritpal who was seeking his release to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab.
Amritpal had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday seeking temporary release for seven days to file his nomination to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib constituency that goes to the polls on June 1.
The high court on Friday disposed of the petition filed by Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief Amritpal Singh, seeking temporary release for seven days to file his nomination to contest the Lok Sabha elections, as infructuous after the Punjab government informed the court that the state had facilitated the process. Amritpal had filled and signed two sets of nomination forms and other paperwork on May 9, the state submitted.
With the interim bail, Kejriwal has been allowed to participate in campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, the last phase being on June 1. The SC bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta, having hinted at granting interim bail on May 7 due to the election season, addressed the matter on Friday.
In a recent affidavit submitted to the court before the crucial May 10 hearing, the Enforcement Directorate had emphasised that the right to campaign in elections is not inherently protected as a fundamental, constitutional, or legal right.
