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As his three-week temporary bail for election campaigning concludes, AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to return to Tihar Jail on Sunday. This comes after a court deferred its decision on his plea for interim bail on medical grounds until June 5.
Sources from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) indicated that on June 2, Kejriwal is expected to visit Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Raj Ghat, the party office on DDU Marg, and a temple before heading to Tihar Jail around 3 PM.
A day before his scheduled surrender, Kejriwal convened a meeting of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee at his residence, followed by attendance at an INDIA bloc meeting at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s home.
Prominent AAP leaders, including Cabinet Minister Atishi, Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh, and MLA Durgesh Pathak, participated in the PAC meeting. Sources report that Kejriwal stressed the importance of maintaining unity among party leaders in his absence.
It was also highlighted that Kejriwal will remain as chief minister, with his wife Sunita Kejriwal relaying his messages to party leaders, volunteers, and the people of Delhi.
Kejriwal was released from jail on May 10 after the Supreme Court granted interim bail for his Lok Sabha poll campaign, which concluded on June 1.
On Friday, Kejriwal announced his intention to surrender at 3 PM on June 2.
He had previously approached the Supreme Court seeking a seven-day extension of the interim bail granted in connection with a money laundering case tied to an alleged excise policy scam. However, the SC registry declined an urgent listing of his plea on Wednesday, in which he cited the need for medical tests due to weight loss and high ketone levels.
Subsequently, Kejriwal sought interim bail on medical grounds from a special CBI-ED court.
On Saturday, the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja reserved its decision on his application until June 5. The court noted that the plea was for interim bail on medical grounds, not an extension of the interim bail granted by the Supreme Court.
The Enforcement Directorate opposed his plea, arguing that he had campaigned throughout the elections but now claimed illness when required to surrender.
The ED’s case involves alleged corruption and money laundering in the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.
Kejriwal urged people not to be disheartened if anything happens to him in jail. He expressed pride in going to jail to “save the country from dictatorship,” acknowledging the uncertainty of his incarceration duration.
He also appealed to Delhi residents to pray for his elderly parents.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva criticized Kejriwal, urging him to cease his “illness drama” and return to jail if he respects the law. Sachdeva expressed regret over Kejriwal campaigning in good health after receiving bail, only to now claim serious illness and seek bail on medical grounds.
(With PTI inputs)
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