Delhi's embattled Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal walked out of jail on Friday, following interim bail granted by the country’s top court, almost two months after he was arrested for an alleged corruption case.
At the Supreme Court, judges Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta granted Mr Kejriwal an interim bail until June 1, following which he has to surrender on June 2.
Mr Kejriwal, whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administers India's capital region, was arrested in March by the enforcement directorate, the federal financial crimes police, on charges of accepting bribes of about 1 billion rupees ($12 million) to pass an alcohol policy favourable to private businesses.
Upon his release, he was received by his wife Sunita Kejriwal, daughter and senior party leadership.
An army of supporters and party staff welcomed him outside jail.
“It feels great to be among you all. I told you all that I will be back soon, so here I am,” Mr Kejriwal told supporters.
“I want to thank the Supreme Court judges. I have only one request for all of you that we all together have to fight against the dictatorship,” he said, referring to Mr Modi’s government.
The 55-year-old politician has denied any wrongdoing.
He has claimed his arrest was “illegal” and carried out at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his main political rival.
The federal agency has claimed that Mr Kejriwal is a “kingpin” in the alleged scam and told the court that he was “non-co-operative” while in custody.
Mr Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and was lodged in Tihar on April 1. He had challenged his arrest but his pleas were repeatedly rejected.
The top court on Friday said that Mr Kejriwal was given the bail given his clean character.
“The appellant Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi and a leader of one of the national parties," the bench said while pronouncing the bail order.
"No doubt, serious accusations have been made, but he has not been convicted. He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to the society."
Television visuals showed AAP workers distributing sweets and bursting firecrackers at party headquarter in Delhi and Haryana after the news of the bail order was reported on news channels.
"Arvind Kejriwal coming out and campaigning will be a turning point for the country...There will be unprecedented changes in this election,” Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP leader and minister in Delhi government, said.
Mr Kejriwal rose swiftly in Indian politics over the past decade, establishing the image of an anti-corruption crusader.
The AAP is a key ally of the Congress-led INDIA alliance that is contesting the election against the dominant National Democratic Alliance, Mr Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
He was one of the star campaigners of the INDIA bloc.
The court has allowed him to participate in the ongoing poll campaign as the country holds the world’s largest elections.
Tens of millions of people across the country have voted in the three rounds of polls of the staggered elections, with the fourth round taking place on May 13.
The last and seventh phase is scheduled on June 1.
Mr Kejriwal's release is seen as a major victory for the opposition camp that has been accusing Mr Modi of weaponising federal agencies against its political opponents and dissidents.
Several of politicians, including Mr Kejriwal's party colleagues such as Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, have remained in custody pending trial over the liquor scam that would have seen the exit of government from the alcohol business.
The Delhi alcohol policy was aimed at privatising the liquor business in 2021. Officials said it was intended to increase revenue and eliminate black marketing of spirits.
It was cancelled by the government after the allegations emerged, with most of the 849 private alcohol shops shutting.
Mr Kejriwal had been summoned several times for questioning but he had ignored the summons, claiming that they were “illegal”.
The agency has claimed that 450 million rupees of kickbacks were used to fund the AAP in the Goa and Punjab state elections in 2022.
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
The specs
Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
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Countries offering golden visas
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Schedule for show courts
Centre Court - from 4pm UAE time
Johanna Konta (6) v Donna Vekic
Andy Murray (1) v Dustin Brown
Rafael Nadal (4) v Donald Young
Court 1 - from 4pm UAE time
Kei Nishikori (9) v Sergiy Stakhovsky
Qiang Wang v Venus Williams (10)
Beatriz Haddad Maia v Simona Halep (2)
Court 2 - from 2.30pm
Heather Watson v Anastasija Sevastova (18)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) v Simone Bolelli
Florian Mayer v Marin Cilic (7)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
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On sale: now
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
