Senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi cleared up the confusion over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s ability to sign official files, emphasising that the Supreme Court’s recent order has not altered prior conditions.
Senior lawyer and Arvind Kejriwal’s counsel in the liquor policy case, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, on Friday said that there was misinformation going on that the Delhi Chief Minister cannot sign any files while he is out on bail and pointed out that the top court has made no changes to the previous order passed on July 12 in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case.
Singhvi’s response came hours after the Supreme Court granted bail to Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy case, even as judges differed on the legality of his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“There is misinformation going on that he (Arvind Kejriwal) cannot sign any files. Today’s order doesn’t add a comma or a full stop to the order already passed on July 12 in the PMLA case. That order says Kejriwal holds no portfolio. He doesn’t actually sign any files at all. The only category of files he must sign and does sign are the ones which have to go to the Lieutenant Governor,” Singhvi said while speaking exclusively to India Today TV.
“The Supreme Court order of July 12 made this distinction where it said that Kejriwal can sign all files that have to go to the Lt Governor. The one that are others, his ministers sign. It is political to suggest that he cannot function. All I would say is that an elected Chief Minister should not be removed using such tactics,” he added.
The senior advocate also pointed out that as Arvind Kejriwal is out of jail, there will be no governance crisis in Delhi.
“Now that he is out of jail, his ministers are signing files and he can also sign the files for the Lieutenant Governor, I don’t think governance is any issue at all,” Singhvi said.
While granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal, the bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan retained only two bail conditions that he shall remain present before the trial court on each and every date of hearing, unless exempted and fully cooperate in expeditious conclusion of the trial.
It decided to do away with the conditions that the Chief Minister cannot go to the Delhi Secretariat or sign files.
However, the relief in this case cannot be enforced, as a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna had previously, on May 10 and July 12, 2024, imposed specific conditions. It was made clear that any changes or recall of these conditions can only be made by a larger Constitution Bench.