NEW DELHI: An Indian court on Friday barred Arvind Kejriwal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s main opponent, from being walked free from Tihar jail, a day after he was granted bail in an allegedly politically motivated corruption case.
On Thursday, a trial court in Delhi ordered the release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh in the money laundering case linked to an alleged excise scam.
However, before he could leave Tihar jail, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), India’s top economic crimes investigative agency, appealed to the Delhi High Court to stay the trial court’s bail order. The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the trial court’s order, stating that a decision would be made in two to three days.
Kejriwal, who also heads the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, has dismissed the charges as a “political conspiracy” orchestrated by Modi and his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A vocal critic of Prime Minister Modi, Kejriwal was arrested by the federal financial crime-fighting agency in March, prior to India’s nationwide seven-phase election, for alleged corruption in the awarding of liquor licenses.
However, the country’s top court granted Kejriwal 21-day bail to run his election campaign, but he returned to jail on June 2 after his interim bail period ended.
Local media reported that the Delhi High Court suspended his release order until the appeal is decided.
Kejriwal is one of several opposition leaders in India under investigation for various corruption-related cases, which Modi’s opponents argue are being used to undermine potential challengers.
The 55-year-old has served as the chief minister of Delhi, which includes the capital New Delhi, for nearly a decade.
He first gained prominence as an anti-corruption activist but faced accusations of corruption within his own government after liberalizing liquor sales in 2021.
His party is a key member of the opposition INDIA bloc, led by the main opposition Congress party, which unexpectedly deprived Modi’s BJP of an overall parliamentary majority in the election.
