In an effort to help the opposition alliance, of which he is a major leader, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted temporary bail by India's highest court on Friday in connection with a graft case. This allowed Kejriwal to campaign in the ongoing general elections.
According to the court, Kejriwal must turn himself in on June 2 and the temporary bail would expire on June 1, the final day of the seven-phase vote.
Charges that the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is harming competitors with the help of investigative agencies have clouded the poll; the government refutes these allegations.
Kejriwal, a prominent opposition figure and ardent opponent of Modi, was detained on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate, India's financial crime-fighting agency, in connection with corruption charges pertaining to the liquor policy of the capital territory.
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The Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal's administration have refuted the accusations of corruption. According to Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, the government is not interfering with the investigative agencies; they are merely carrying out their mandate.
Since April 1, Kejriwal has been detained pending trial; in his place, his spouse Sunita has taken on the role of party spokesperson for his ten-year-old organization.
India started holding elections on April 19 and concluded the third phase of the elections on May 7, covering more than half of the country's 543 seats. On May 25, the national capital region will cast its ballot.
June 1 is the deadline for voting, and June 4 is the date for counting.
During an appeal against Kejriwal's arrest last week, the Supreme Court hinted that it "may" think about giving the well-known leader "interim bail" or temporary bail "because of the elections" because the appeal against his arrest might take some time to resolve.
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Kejriwal claimed that he was detained shortly before the election in order to prevent him from running for office against Modi, who polls predict will garner a sizable majority and win an unprecedented third consecutive term.
Kejriwal is a chief minister in office and not a "habitual offender," according to his attorney.
ED attorneys claimed that granting bail to a politician for the sole purpose of campaigning would convey the incorrect idea that they are subject to different rules than other citizens. They said that Kejriwal had to be taken into custody since he had ignored nine ED summonses issued over a six-month period to appear for questioning.
More than two dozen opposition parties have formed the INDIA alliance, which has accused Modi and the BJP of politically motivated action against Kejriwal and other opposition leaders in order to deny them a fair chance to compete in the elections.
Following Kejriwal's arrest, there was international outcry for a "fair" and "impartial" trial, led by Germany and the US.
