Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said he will surrender at Tihar Jail later on Sunday after paying obeisance at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at the Raj Ghat and the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.
Kejriwal was given interim bail by the Supreme Court to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections on May 10 and was asked to surrender to Tihar jail on June 2.
In a post on X, the Delhi CM thanked the Supreme Court for granting him interim bail in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
“I came out for an election campaign for 21 days on the orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. I am very grateful to the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Today I will surrender by going to Tihar,” Kejriwal posted on X.
माननीय सुप्रीम कोर्ट के आदेश पर मैं 21 दिन चुनाव प्रचार के लिए बाहर आया। माननीय सुप्रीम कोर्ट का बहुत बहुत आभार।
आज तिहाड़ जाकर सरेंडर करूँगा। दोपहर 3 बजे घर से निकलूँगा। पहले राजघाट जाकर महात्मा गांधी जी को श्रद्धांजलि दूँगा। वहाँ से हनुमान जी का आशीर्वाद लेने कनॉट प्लेस स्थित…
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 2, 2024
“I will leave home at 3 pm. First, I will go to Rajghat and pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. From there, I will go to the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place to seek the blessings of Hanuman Ji. And from there, I will go to the party office and meet all the workers and party leaders. From there, I will again leave for Tihar,” he added.
“All of you take care of yourselves. If you are happy, then your Kejriwal will also be happy in jail,” the Delhi CM said.
The chief minister of Delhi has already petitioned the Supreme Court to extend the bail period. The Supreme Court denied his plea on Wednesday, ruling that it was unmaintainable because he was allowed to petition the trial court for normal release.
In the meantime, Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi postponed the ruling on Kejriwal’s request for temporary bail on Saturday, citing health concerns in connection with a money laundering case involving the purported excise policy scheme.
The order on the application for a seven-day bond was set for June 5 by the court, but Kejriwal’s attorney was not allowed to get the order passed today.
In his video message, Kejriwal said, “The 21 days are getting over; I have to surrender. I don’t know how long they will keep me in jail this time. But my spirits are high. I am going to jail to save the country from dictatorship. I am proud of this. They tried to break me many times, tried to make me bow down but I didn’t.”
मुझे परसों सरेंडर करना है। माननीय सुप्रीम कोर्ट का बहुत-बहुत शुक्रिया। https://t.co/1uaCMKWFhV
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 31, 2024
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22.