New Delhi, India – Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi and one of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s loudest political critics, has been granted bail by the Supreme Court after months in jail over a sprawling corruption investigation. Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party had been accused of accepting kickbacks in exchange for granting liquor licenses.
Kejriwal has been leading an opposition alliance that was pitted against Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the national elections earlier this year; he was first jailed in March. The corruption investigation concerns the Delhi government’s 2020 policy to free up liquor sales, which was later rescinded. A number of Kejriwal’s associates have also been taken into custody in connection with the case.
Supreme Court’s Ruling on Kejriwal’s Bail
Meanwhile, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court observed that although Kejriwal was lawfully arrested, he had not been lawfully detained beyond a point. “Prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty,” said Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant as he granted bail to the Delhi Chief Minister.He was granted temporary bail earlier in order to allow contesting the General Election. He was rearrested once the voting was completed. Kejriwal has, however denied the charges as part of a “Political conspiracy” against him by Modi’s ruling BJP in order to stifle opposition voices.
Corruption Charges
The controversy relates to a policy issued three years ago by Kejriwal’s government to free up the sale of liquor in the capital. Critics said that it allowed for illicit allotment of liquor licenses in return for kickbacks. Two top allies of Kejriwal have been thrown behind bars in this connection. However, Kejriwal has refused to yield and also to step down from his post.Political and Public Response
Following the arrest of the chief minister, protests erupted in support of Kejriwal across major cities of India. The AAP party has branded the case as politically motivated against the BJP government, which Kejriwal criticizes because it curbs democratic freedoms.Democratic Space Shrinks in India
The Kejriwal case has triggered wider fears about India’s political environment. Opposition leaders and international watchdogs accuse Modi’s BJP of using government agencies to silence and target political rivals.In recent months, the US-based think tank Freedom House took to task the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for “routinely” using state institutions to “harass opposition figures”. Another prominent opposition leader from the Congress Party is Rahul Gandhi, who has been convicted of criminal libel and was being disqualified as a member of parliament. Later, his sentence was suspended, but the incident added to concerns over India’s democratic norms.
Kejriwal has remained at the forefront of the opposition alliance, as indeed has Gandhi, in this quest to confront Modi and the BJP in election after election.
The grant of bail to Kejriwal is thus a major development in the ongoing confrontation between the Modi government and its opponents, as India continues to grapple with accusations of political suppression and shrinking democratic space. The corruption case and its political implications are likely to continue playing a major role in the country’s evolving political landscape.