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5 Conditions Imposed On Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal As Supreme Court Grants Him Bail In Liquor Policy Case

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5 Conditions Imposed On Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal As Supreme Court Grants Him Bail In Liquor Policy Case

In a massive boost to the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the state Assembly elections, the Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to its national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case registered by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam. 

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan granted bail to Kejriwal saying prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty. 

It also put in place 5 conditions for Kejriwal to follow, including those set in earlier when he got relief in the ED case:

These new conditions include: 

– The apex court granted bail to Kejriwal, subject to bail bonds of Rs10 lakh.

– The Delhi CM cannot comment on the ongoing Delhi liquor policy case.

– Kejriwal will have to be present for trial unless exempted by the courts.

– He cannot sign official documents.

– Kejriwal can’t enter the Chief Minister’s office or the Delhi secretariat while out on bail.

Justice Bhuyan, during the hearing, questioned the CBI for arresting Kejriwal, saying that such action by CBI raises serious questions on the timing of the arrest and such an arrest by CBI only fractured the bail granted in the ED case.

Keeping Kejriwal incarcerated would be travesty of justice: SC

He said keeping Kejriwal incarcerated when he is on bail in the ED case would be a travesty of justice. He further said Kejriwal was granted bail in the ED case and further detention in the CBI case is wholly untenable. 

Justice Bhuyan also said that bail is the rule and jail is an exception. “The process of trial or steps leading to arrest should not become harassment,” said the judge.

CBI arrest is “unjustified”, says court

CBI arrest is “unjustified” and thus Kejriwal should be released forthwith, said Justice Bhuyan.

Earlier, the apex court had reserved the verdict on September 5 after hearing counsels representing Kejriwal and CBI.

During the hearing of the case, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for CBI, objected to Kejriwal for not approaching the trial court for bail.

Kejriwal had directly approached the Delhi High Court for bail and then moved to the apex court. On August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld the arrest of the Chief Minister as “legal.” It had dismissed Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest, saying it was only after sufficient evidence was collected and sanction was obtained in April 2024 that the CBI proceeded with further probe against him.

The High Court had said there was no malice in the acts of the CBI, which demonstrated how Kejriwal could influence witnesses who could muster the courage to depose only after his arrest. It had said Kejriwal is not an ordinary citizen but a distinguished recipient of the Magsaysay Award and the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party.

“The control and the influence which he has on the witnesses is prima facie borne out from the fact that these witnesses could muster the courage to be a witness only after the arrest of the petitioner, as highlighted by the special prosecutor,” it had said in its order.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, 2024, in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. On June 26, 2024, AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by CBI while he was in custody of the Enforcement Directorate in the excise case.

National News

Aligarh Police Sub-Inspector Sits On Railway Tracks To End Life After Alleged Harassment By Judge, Saved by Cops

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Vigilant police officers saved Sub-Inspector Sachin Kumar’s life as he attempted suicide by sitting on railway tracks in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, allegedly due to harassment by Judge Abhishek Tripathi. Judge Tripathi has yet to respond to the allegations.

A video of the incident has surfaced on social media, showing several policemen approaching Kumar while he was sitting on the tracks. They are seen lifting him up and reassuring him, with one officer saying, “What happened? It’s okay. Stand up.” Kumar responded, “No sir, I don’t want to listen to anything.”

In the video, Kumar explains that the judge had repeatedly summoned him to his chamber, verbally abused him, and threatened him. Despite this, his colleagues managed to persuade him to leave the tracks.

According to reports, Kumar had recently arrested five individuals for bike theft and presented them in court. However, Judge Tripathi accused him of detaining innocent people and misbehaving. Distressed by these accusations, Kumar attempted to take his own life.

The police are investigating the incident to clarify the circumstances and address the concerns raised.

4 dead, 6 injured in explosion at firecracker factory in Firozabad

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, four people have died and six people who were injured are undergoing treatment after an explosion occurred at a firecracker factory in Firozabad’s Naushera on Tuesday, said senior police official on Tuesday.

The House has collapsed due to the explosion and several people are feared to be trapped under rubble, said police.

“In Shikohabad PS area, firecrackers were stored at a house and a blast occurred there. Due to the impact of the blast, the roof of a nearby house collapsed. Police took out 10 people from the debris…6 people are undergoing treatment at a hospital and 4 people have died…further rescue operation is still underway,”

Meanwhile, Firozabad District Magistrate Ramesh Ranjan said that the rescue operations are underway.

“Rescue team is present at the spot. District hospital and sub-district hospital, both are on high alert…team of doctors, ambulance, fire team, disaster team, all are present at the spot,” Firozabad District Magistrate Ramesh Ranjan said.

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National News

AAP To Announce New Delhi Chief Minister At 12 PM Today After Arvind Kejriwal Announces To Quit As CM

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The Aam Aadmi Party will announce Delhi’s new Chief Minister at 12:00 PM. The party has stated that the name of the new Chief Minister will be revealed after the meeting of the legislative assembly members at noon. Today, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to resign from his post, a decision he announced on Sunday. Following Kejriwal’s announcement, speculation has been rife about who will be chosen as the next Chief Minister of Delhi.

According to sources, Kejriwal’s close aide and Delhi government minister Atishi may be entrusted with the responsibility of Chief Minister until the upcoming Delhi Assembly election results are announced.

Apart from Atishi, names like Manish Sisodia, Raghav Chadha, and other AAP leaders are also being considered in the race for the Chief Minister’s post.

Frontrunners In CM Race

Among the leading candidates to potentially replace Kejriwal are Atishi, a prominent AAP minister, along with senior party members such as Saurabh Bhardwaj, Raghav Chadha, Kailash Gahlot, and Sanjay Singh. .

Kejriwal has called for Delhi elections to be held in November, aligning them with Maharashtra’s elections, even though Delhi’s assembly polls are scheduled for February next year. He claims that the public is eager to re-elect him.

The opposition has reacted strongly to Kejriwal’s resignation announcement. The BJP has ridiculed the delay, questioning why he hasn’t resigned immediately, while the Delhi Congress labeled the move a political gimmick, highlighting that Kejriwal didn’t step down during major crises like the recent floods and water shortages in the capital.

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Crime

Andhra Pradesh Govt Suspends Three IPS Officers Over Actress Harassment Case

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The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday suspended three senior IPS officers following an inquiry into the allegations made by a Mumbai-based actress, Kadambari Jethwani. The state government issued orders suspending P. Sitharama Anjaneyulu, then Director General of Police, Intelligence; Kanthi Rana Tata, the then Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada, and Vishal Gunni, then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada.

She and her parents allegedly faced harassment at the hands of police officers at the instance of a leader of YSR Congress, which was then the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh. The suspensions were issued under Rule 3 (1) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969. Sitharama Anjaneyulu has been suspended on allegations of misuse of power and grave misconduct.

He had allegedly instructed the other two officials to arrest the actress, even before a formal crime had been registered. There are allegations that Kanthi Rana Tata arrested the actress based on oral instructions from his superior on January 31, 2024, before the registration of the FIR on February 2.

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