Delhi court grants bail to Arvind Kejriwal in money laundering case

NEW DELHI — In a huge relief to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a court here on Thursday granted him bail in a money laundering case stemming from the alleged excise scam.

Special Judge Niyay Bindu also declined the Enforcement Directorate’s prayer to keep in abeyance the bail order for 48 hours to allow the central agency to appeal against it in a superior court.

The judge ordered Kejriwal’s release on a personal bond of INR 1 lakh.

The court, however, imposed certain conditions on the AAP leader before granting him the relief, including that he will not try to hamper the investigation or influence the witnesses.

The judge also directed Kejriwal to appear before the court whenever required and to cooperate with the investigation.

The judge had reserved the order earlier during the day after hearing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which sought to link Kejriwal to the alleged proceeds of crime and co-accused, and the defence that claimed the prosecution has no evidence to nail the AAP leader.