New Delhi:

The Supreme Court today granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, who had been in custody for 17 months, in connection to the Delhi liquor policy case. Reacting to the news, Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, expressed her relief, stating, “Justice can be delayed, not denied.”

भगवान के घर देर है अंधेर नहीं

— Sunita Kejriwal (@KejriwalSunita) August 9, 2024

The legal battle surrounding the Delhi excise policy case has seen multiple high-profile arrests, including that of Arvind Kejriwal. On Thursday, a Delhi court extended Mr Kejriwal’s judicial custody until August 20 in the ongoing corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who presided over the hearing, extended Mr Kejriwal’s custody after he appeared before the court via video conference.

The court is scheduled to consider a supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI against Mr Kejriwal on August 12. The supplementary charge sheet is expected to further detail the allegations against the AAP chief, who has been named as one of the “main conspirators” in the case. Judge Baweja noted the CBI’s concerns that Mr Kejriwal might attempt to influence witnesses if released, justifying the extension of his custody.

Mr Kejriwal, 55, was initially arrested by the CBI on June 26 while already in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, where he was being held in connection with a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His arrest by the ED had occurred earlier on March 21.

Despite being granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the ED case on July 12, Mr Kejriwal remains in Tihar Jail as he has yet to furnish the required bail bond. 

Panchkula, Haryana:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, on Saturday, started campaigning in Haryana by launching “Kejriwal’s guarantees” for the state under the helm of BJP for two consecutive terms.

Accompanied by party MPs Sanjay Singh and Sandeep Pathak, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Sunita Kejriwal launched guarantees of giving free electricity round the clock like Punjab and Delhi, employment to every youth, education to every child, free medical treatment, and Rs 1,000 per month to every woman above 18 years of age.

The upcoming Assembly polls in Haryana will likely be in October.

AAP’s state unit chief Sushil Gupta said that the party is geared up to contest all 90 Assembly seats, fight the elections strongly and form a government.

On Thursday, the AAP had announced that it will contest all the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, where people want “badlav” (change).

“Aam Aadmi Party has decided to contest the elections in Haryana with full strength,” AAP leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told the media in Chandigarh on Thursday.

AAP National Secretary Sandeep Pathak said that public dialogue for change was conducted by visiting about 6,500 villages and the voice of change “is coming from everywhere.”

“Just like we fought the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha elections with full force, we will fight the Haryana Assembly polls with full force as well,” added Pathak, who had kicked off the party’s campaign for the elections from Karnal on June 25.

The Punjab Chief Minister said that during the AAP leaders’ visits to parts of Rohtak, Sonipat, and Jind in Haryana, people said that they wanted a change in the government.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, AAP contested one seat in Haryana in alliance with the Congress as part of the INDIA bloc.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A court here on Saturday allowed jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita access to his medical records and also permitted her to independently consult and seek advice from the medical board or doctors on his behalf.

The court, however, rejected Arvind Kejriwal’s application seeking directions to prison authorities allowing Sunita Kejriwal to be his attendant during consultations with doctors.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja said Arvind Kejriwal had not been admitted to a hospital and according to Delhi Prison Rules, permission was granted to a family member as an attendant with an undertrial prisoner by the jail superintendent in consultation with the medical officer in-charge, only when the prisoner is admitted in hospital.

“This court sees no reason to carve out an exception for the applicant (Arvind Kejriwal) by going against the prison rules, more particularly in view of the submission of the jail authorities that several other inmates are also undergoing treatment for the same ailment as the applicant and who have not been permitted to have an attendant,” the court said.

Regarding granting Arvind Kejriwal’s wife access to his medical records, the court said the prison authorities did not have any objection and during the proceedings, the chief minister agreed that his medical records were being “duly shared” by the authorities concerned.

Also, Arvind Kejriwal’s family members have been providing home-cooked food to him in accordance with the diet prescribed by the medical board of the AIIMS, the court said.

“Accordingly, insofar as the prayer of the applicant regarding providing the medical records of his medical meetings/consultations with the doctors to his wife is concerned, the same is allowed and the jail authorities are directed to provide the medical records of the applicant,” it said.

Regarding Arvind Kejriwal’s request to permit his wife to independently consult and seek advice from the medical board or doctors, the court said it was pointed out by Arvind Kejriwal and his advocate that this was necessary to ensure that his prescribed diet was prepared properly.

“It is submitted that the wife of the applicant may also have certain queries regarding the method of preparing the diet as per the recommendation of the medical board, for which she may need to consult the doctors/medical board of AIIMS,” the court said.

“The said submissions appear to be justified and in this regard, it is directed that in case of such a query, the wife of the applicant may independently approach the concerned medical board/doctors, who may have a meeting/consultation with her to discuss the method of preparation of medically prescribed diet of the applicant, if so permitted under the hospital rules,” it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday tweaked the BJP’s 2014 poll slogan to take a swipe at the Prime Minister, saying “Acche din aane waale hain, Modi ji jaane waale hain” as he exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc will emerge victorious in this Lok Sabha election.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief, who was accompanied by his wife Sunita Kejriwal for the first time in election meetings on Monday, praised her for taking command of the poll campaigning in his absence and described her as “Jhansi Ki Rani”.

“Today I have brought my wife also with me. She took charge of everything in my absence. When I was in jail, she used to come to meet me. I used to inquire about the well-being of my Delhiites through her and send my messages to you. She is like Jhansi ki Rani,” Mr Kejriwal said at a street corner meeting in East Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar constituency.

Sunita Kejriwal also addressed the people and appealed to them to vote for AAP so that her husband is “not sent to jail again”.

“It is because of your blessings that my husband is here with us today. God helps those who do the right thing. Now if you don’t want my husband to go back to jail, vote for AAP on May 25,” she said.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in a money-laundering case linked to the ‘liquor scam’ in Delhi. The top court has granted interim bail to the AAP leader till June 1, the last day of the seven-phase Lok Sabha election, and asked him to surrender and go back to jail on June 2.

Arvind Kejriwal again repeated his promise of full statehood for Delhi if elected to power.

“I am telling you on June 4, Modi ji’s government will not be formed. Everywhere people are angry with them (BJP) due to inflation and unemployment during their rule,” he claimed.

“People have made up their mind to oust them…On June 4, acche din aane waale hain, Modi ji jaane waale hain (good days are on their way, Modi is on his way out),” he claimed.

In 2014, Narendra Modi stormed to power on the popular slogan of ‘Acche din aane waale hain’ (good days are on their way).

At another poll meeting in Shahdara, Mr Kejriwal attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused him of using foul language for his political opponents including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar.

“This is not a good thing. He (Sharad Pawar) is an 84-year-old person. Modi ji is 74 years old. One should respect elders,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal also addressed roadshows in Kondli, Trilokpuri and Jangpura assembly segments of the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency in support of AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar.

Mr Kejriwal appealed to the Congress supporters to vote for AAP in the constituencies where its candidates were in the fray while asking his party supporters to do the same for Congress candidates.

Polling for all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi is on May 25. The result will be declared for all on June 4.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)