The Supreme Court on Thursday, May 16 has refused to consider the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) objection to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's controversial statement that if people voted for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he would not go back to jail. The objection was raised during the hearing of Kejriwal's plea against his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case.
The ED had brought this issue to the forefront, arguing that Kejriwal's statement, made during a public speech, was inappropriate and could influence the judicial process. The ED asserted that Kejriwal’s claim was an attempt to sway public opinion and undermine the legal proceedings against him.
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However, the Supreme Court declined to consider the objection, stating that the context of the statement and the political nature of the speech did not warrant judicial intervention at this stage.
During the hearing, Kejriwal's counsel highlighted a statement made by a Union minister regarding the interim bail granted to the Delhi Chief Minister. The Supreme Court responded by affirming that a critical analysis of its verdicts is welcome and that the court’s decision on interim bail was based on what it deemed justified.
"We have not made any exception for anybody; we said in our order what we felt was justified," the bench said.