New Delhi: Amid speculations that Arvind Kejriwal may get an interim bail in a money laundering case pertaining to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, the Supreme Court on Friday made a crucial remark saying that it may consider interim bail for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal because of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country. The Apex Court also stated that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) cannot arrest Kejriwal in the interim due to the ongoing elections. The matter on granting bail to Kejriwal will now be observed by the Top court on May 7.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) was expected to respond to the queries raised by the top court, including the question regarding the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest before the elections.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21

The Supreme Court asked the central probe agency to respond to Kejriwal’s question regarding the timing of his arrest in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam case, stating that “life and liberty are exceedingly important”.

Notably, Kejriwal was arrested on March 21, days after the 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule was announced. The case pertains to alleged kickbacks received by the AAP and its leaders in implementation of the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy.

Hearing the matter, the Supreme Court informed the Enforcement Directorate that they could think about granting interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal due to the elections. The court also instructed the ED lawyer to be ready to discuss this issue when the case is heard on Tuesday.

“We may grant or we may not grant. But we must be open to you as neither side should be taken by surprise," the top court said.

The court requested the ED to suggest potential conditions for Arvind Kejriwal if he's granted interim bail as the Delhi chief minister. It also asked the ED to think about whether Kejriwal should be handling official paperwork given his position.

The Apex Court, while hearing the submissions of Senior Advocate AM Singhvi, who represented Kejriwal, questioned the time gap between the initiation of proceedings and arrest of the Delhi CM.