GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 14th May. After Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in March in connection with the alleged liquor policy fraud, a petition to remove him as Delhi’s Chief Minister was denied by the Supreme Court. Kant Bhati filed the appeal after a Delhi High Court ruling last month invalidated his demand to fire Mr. Kejriwal.
A bench made up of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta declined to intervene, stating that Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena should take appropriate action if the situation called for it. The petition had no legal merit, the court declared, adding that “in the end, it is a matter of propriety.” “How can we go into all this… let the LG take action if he wants to…” the judge replied.
The plea was sent to the Lieutenant Governor by the court, which may create a new front in the current dispute between Mr. Saxena and the AAP. This is especially true after the latter demanded an investigation into claims that the Chief Minister had received financing from the outlawed Sikhs For Justice group.
Since Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal was brought to Tihar Jail in Delhi last month, there have been numerous petitions requesting the courts to order him to resign. These petitions have persisted since last week when he was released on interim bail. The Delhi High Court rejected a Hindu group’s request in April, asking the court to “let democracy take its own course,” dismissing the case for the third time.
“Mr. Saxena doesn’t require our direction. We have no right to counsel him. He’ll follow the law and do whatever he has to,” a bench chaired by acting Chief Justice Manmohan said.
When Mr. Kejriwal was being prosecuted in a criminal matter in 2019, the court rejected a similar plea. “The prosecution is still in progress. He could get off the hook. When that happens, what will you do? A bench presided over by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon at the time declared, “Nothing doing, come after he is convicted.”
In relation to the purported liquor policy fraud that rocked the AAP weeks before the poll, Mr. Kejriwal was taken into custody on March 21. The Enforcement Directorate, which is in charge of making arrests, has stated that the Delhi government was able to accept bribes in exchange for granting licenses under the now-canceled program.
The ED has claimed that these payments totaled ₹ 100 crores, which were utilized to finance the AAP’s election campaigns in Punjab and Goa. In addition to rejecting all allegations, the AAP and Mr. Kejriwal have charged that the BJP is fabricating allegations in order to malign the party and its leaders before of the election.
Mr. Kejriwal was released on temporary bail last week. Following his detention, he refused to resign as Chief Minister, arguing that he has not yet been found guilty and even giving certain commands to his cabinet.
The court recognized that he needed to campaign for his party ahead of the May 25 Lok Sabha election in Delhi.
“These are extraordinary circumstances, and he is not a habitual offender,” the court stated, highlighting Mr. Kejriwal’s status as an elected Chief Minister. This is a matter of public concern.
The ED had contested Mr. Kejriwal’s bail, arguing that a politician could not be granted a “special status” that would elevate them beyond that of a citizen and that they were just as likely to be arrested for crimes as anyone else.
Mr. Kejriwal is free on temporary bail through June 1; he has to turn himself in to jail officials by June 2. He had asked the court for an extended bail, stating that it should last until the results are announced on June 4.
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