India’s supreme court Friday granted bail and freed political opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal (C) following six months in jail. He claims the corruption case against him is politically motivated. Photo by EPA-EFE/STR
Sept. 13 (UPI) — India’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be granted bail after six months in jail and ordered his release. Kejriwal claims his corruption case is politically motivated and the court ruled that his “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty” because of the time it will take for his to be finished.
Kejriwal is politically opposed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was freed from jail Friday.
The country’s Central Bureau of Investigation has charged that Kejriwal and other members of his political party AAP allegedly took $1 billion in bribes in connection with a Delhi liquor licensing scheme.
Kejriwal denies any wrongdoing.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were also arrested in the case.
Kejriwal has not resigned his office since being arrested, continuing to run the Delhi government from jail.
The Supreme Court ordered Kejriwal to not attend office, make any public statements or sign any official files while out on bail.
The U.S. State Department said it was closely monitoring Kejriwal’s arrest as well as other actions taken against political opposition groups in India.
Kejriwal’s AAP party has grown in recent years, winning regional elections in Delhi and Punjab.