After his release from Tihar Jail on Friday, May 10, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told a large gathering of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters that the 140 crore people of the country will have to fight together against dictatorship.
“I said I will come out soon, now I have arrived. Crores of people from across India sent their blessings. I want to thank the judges of the Supreme Court because of whom I am with you all now,” Kejriwal told his supporters after walking out of the prison.
“We all have to come together to save the country... 140 crore people have to fight together against dictatorship. We will meet at the Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, before holding a press conference at the party office at 1 p.m. I thank you all," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal's 40-day judicial custody came to an end on Friday after the Supreme Court granted him bail till June 1 in the excise policy case.
"Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi and a leader of one of the national parties. No doubt, serious accusations have been made, but he has not been convicted. He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to the society. The investigation in the present case has remained pending since August 2022," a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said in its order.
The bench, also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, said that ongoing general elections prompted it to release CM Kejriwal on interim bail, adding that while examining the question of grant of interim bail, the courts always take into consideration the peculiarities associated with the person in question and the surrounding circumstances.
Rejecting the ED's contention that the grant of interim relief on account of elections would place the politicians in a beneficial position compared to ordinary citizens, the top court said that the Lok Sabha polls were the "most significant and important event this year" and to ignore the same would be iniquitous and wrong.
As per the court order, the AAP supremo -- who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 -- must surrender before the Tihar Jail authorities by June 2. The final round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections is scheduled for June 1, while the results will be out on June 4.