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India Opposition Leader Bail 05/10 07:36
NEW DELHI (AP) -- India's Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to a
top opposition leader who was arrested nearly seven weeks ago in a bribery case
that opposition parties called a political move by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's government against his rivals during a national election.
Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party,
is the chief elected official in the city of New Delhi and one of the country's
most influential politicians of the past decade.
The court ordered Kejriwal's release on interim bail, enabling him to
campaign in the country's national election until the voting ends on June 1,
Kejriwal's attorney said.
Opposition leaders hailed the court verdict. "It will be very helpful in the
context of the current elections," said Mamta Banerjee, the top elected
official of West Bengal state.
However, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a leader of the ruling party, said the
court's decision did not mean that Kejriwal has been exonerated in the bribery
case. He will have to go back to jail on June 2 as pre-trial court proceedings
are still taking place.
Kejriwal was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate, India's main
financial investigation agency, on March 21. The agency, controlled by Modi's
government, accused Kejriwal's party and ministers of accepting 1 billion
rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago.
The arrest triggered days of protests by party activists supported by other
opposition parties.
Kejriwal, who has remained New Delhi's chief minister, has denied the
accusations. His party is part of a broad alliance of opposition parties called
INDIA, which is the main challenger to Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party
in India's six-week-long general election, which began last month.
Kejriwal's case was the first time that a chief minister in India was
arrested while in office. His arrest, which occurred before the start of the
election, dominated headlines for weeks.
His lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, said he was a serving chief minister and
not a "habitual offender" and deserved to be released to campaign. Kejriwal's
deputy, Manish Sisodia, was also arrested in the case earlier, weakening his
party's campaign in national elections.
The Enforcement Directorate opposed his bail, saying that releasing Kejriwal
to campaign would indicate that there were different judicial standards for
politicians and other citizens.
"The right to campaign for an election is neither a fundamental right nor a
constitutional right and not even a legal right," it said, adding that Kejriwal
is not a candidate in these elections.
Kejriwal's party is the main challenger to Modi's governing BJP in the
Indian capital New Delhi and Punjab state where voting will take place on May
25 and June 1 respectively.
The national elections that started on April 19 are due to conclude on June
1. Votes will be counted on June 4.
While the federal agency accused Kejriwal of being a key conspirator in the
liquor bribery case, the opposition parties said the government was misusing
federal investigation agencies to harass and weaken its political opponents.
They pointed to a series of raids, arrests and corruption investigations of key
opposition figures.
Kejriwal called his arrest a "political conspiracy" to prevent him from
campaigning, and accused the Enforcement Directorate of "manipulating
investigative agencies for political motives."
Modi's party denies using law enforcement agencies to target the opposition
and says the agencies act independently.
Kejriwal, a former civil servant, launched the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012. He
promised to rid the Indian political system and governance of corruption and
inefficiency.
The party's symbol -- a broom -- and its promise to sweep the administration
of graft struck a chord with Delhi residents, fed up with runaway inflation and
slow economic growth.
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