BJP misused central agencies to keep Kejriwal in jail: AAP reacts to Delhi CM getting bail in excise case

Just hours after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Friday (Sept 13) granted bail by the Indian Supreme Court in the Delhi excise policy case, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government in the national capital said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) misused agencies to keep Kejriwal in prison.

Addressing a press conference, former deputy chief minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia said, "The Supreme Court said today that the way the CBI arrested Arvind Kejriwal, it became clear that the CBI arrested him intending to keep him jailed... And as Kejriwal has not done anything wrong, then who's intention was this? It was of the BJP..."

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"That is why he was arrested by the CBI when he was going to the released in the ED case," Sisodia added and pointed out that the CBI arrested Kejriwal onBJP's demand.

"The BJP got exposed in the SC today..." he further said.

The bail for Kejriwal

On Friday morning, Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the excise policy case. The verdict was announced by a bench of justicesSurya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan.

"Kejriwal satisfies the triple condition for the grant of bail and we order accordingly," the bench said.

Delivering the verdict, Justice Surya Kant said that the CBI's arrest of Kejriwal in the case was legal, adding that the chief minister would be released (from jail) subject to a bail bond of $11,914 (Rs 10 lakh).

Justice Kant added that Kejriwalcannot make comments about the case in public, and he has to be present for trial unless exempted.

Justice Bhuyan, meanwhile, said that the CBI's arrestwas only a measure to make meaningless bail in the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) case.

Bhuyan expressed reservations about restraining Kejriwal from entering the CM's office or signing files, but he eventually agreed to these conditions, as imposed by another bench while granting him bail in the ED case.

"CBI must ensure that the perception of it being a ‘caged parrot’ is discarded. It must be above board," he added.

BJP reacts to SC giving bail to Kejriwal

Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia said that Kejriwal's arrest was constitutional.

"His argument in the court was that his arrest was illegal. The SC has said today that the appellant's arrest does not suffer from any illegality... The arrest was constitutional... The Supreme Court busted the propaganda of the Aam Aadmi Party... Arvind Kejriwal never got relief from any court and no charges have been quashed... He has not been discharged," Bhatia said.

"There is no question of acquittal because the trial will continue... The AAP has to answer why Arvind Kejriwal is not resigning... The BJP has zero tolerance against corruption... The corrupt Arvind Kejriwal will bow down one day and the people will take the resignation from him...," he added.

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, meanwhile, said that an accused was coming out on bail.

"He committed a crime towards Delhi. But the Court says that as a CM, he cannot sign a file or can't go to the office...Roads are damaged in Delhi, water is contaminated, there is tanker mafia...He is not ashamed. If you can't do anything, resign and give chance to someone else," Tiwari said.