Arvind Kejriwal: Delhi leader is granted bail by an Indian court

Arvind Kejriwal: Delhi leader is granted bail by an Indian court

More than a month after his detention in a corruption case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted temporary release by India's highest court.

According to the court, the bail is valid until June 1st, after which he must turn himself in to the police once again.

Former anti-corruption activist Mr. Kejriwal was detained in March over an alcohol sales ordinance that has since been abandoned.

He has referred to his detention as "illegal" and refuted the accusations made against him.

After the Delhi High Court denied him bail last month, the chief minister filed a case in the Supreme Court. The Enforcement Directorate, India's financial crimes department, vehemently objected to his bail in court.

Two days before the Indian general election results are expected, on June 2, Mr. Kejriwal must surrender, according to a bench made up of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta on Friday.

According to the court, Mr. Kejriwal will be permitted to run for office after his release, but he will not be permitted to carry out any official tasks during that period.

A few days after the election dates were revealed, Mr. Kejriwal, an AAP member, was taken into custody on March 21. In the case, he was the third AAP leader to be imprisoned.

He was charged by the ED of favoring liquor barons in return for bribes. The claim has been refuted by the party.

The move taken against Mr. Kejriwal and a number of other opposition groups, according to critics, was politically motivated and denied them a fair chance to compete in the legislative election. According to the Indian government, the investigation agencies were only carrying out their duties.

Mr. Kejriwal did not resign from his position while his incarceration. According to his party, he was managing the Delhi administration from behind bars.

The imprisonment of the Delhi chief minister raised fears among his followers over his health, since he suffers from diabetes.

Mr. Kejriwal and his party claimed last month that the jail administration's failure to provide him with appropriate care was the cause of the surge in his blood sugar levels.

In order to raise his blood sugar levels and justify his release on bond, the ED countered that he had purposefully consumed an excessive amount of sweets and mangoes.

Later, when a court ordered physicians from a prestigious hospital to decide his dosage, he got insulin injections.

The ED objected to Mr. Kejriwal's bail request during the court hearing, saying it would create an unfavorable precedent since he had nine times ignored the agency's summons.

However, Justice Khanna stated: "We consider whether there would be abuse or if the individual is a hardened offender before granting interim release. Here, that is not the case.

The US and Germany had also commented on the arrest in March.

According to US State Department spokesman Mathew Miller, the nation was attentively monitoring Mr. Kejriwal's apprehension and the measures used against opposition groups in India.

"We encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes [in both cases]," added Mr. Miller.

Given that India is a democratic country, the German foreign ministry expressed its confidence that Mr. Kejriwal will get a "fair and impartial trial."

India voiced its disapproval by calling top US and German ambassadors.