AAP hails ‘victory of truth’ after Bibhav Kumar, Vijay Nair granted bail

After the Supreme Court granted bail to the aide of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Bibhav Kumar, and to the former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) media in-charge, Vijay Nair, in two separate cases on Monday, the AAP leaders said that it was the “victory of truth” and Kejriwal will also walk out of jail soon.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, targeted the AAP for “celebrating bail”.
Kumar was arrested on May 18 after he allegedly assaulted AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on May 13 at the CM’s official residence. Kejriwal has been in jail since March 21 in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22, in connection to which Nair too was in prison for 23 months.
Referring to the recent bails of former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha and Nair in the excise policy case, AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the Centre and its agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are getting exposed. “It is a big achievement for the whole country and a big defeat for the central government and its investigative agencies such as ED and CBI, which are now constantly getting exposed in front of the Supreme Court and the whole country. Soon Kejriwal and (former AAP minister) Satyendar Jain will walk out of jail,” Bharadwaj said in a press conference at the AAP office near Mandi House.
The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Nair in the Delhi excise policy case, citing his incarceration for almost two years. It said that the trial in the case was yet to begin and the maximum punishment to be awarded in case of conviction is seven years.
Nair’s bail comes as a major relief to AAP weeks before the assembly elections in Haryana — where the embattled AAP is a key contender — as well as months before the Delhi assembly elections that are likely to be held in February next year.
Sisodia was granted bail on August 9 and soon after he launched a pan-Delhi outreach programme where the AAP has been asserting that the cases against the party leaders are fabricated and politically motivated to check the rise of AAP in the country’s opposition space.
Bharadwaj said that even beginning of trials in cases against AAP leaders is being delayed.
“When Sisodia was denied bail on October 30 last year, the ED lawyer had said in the court that the entire trial will be concluded in six to eight months. After 10 months, the trial has not even started… that is why the apex court is granting bail to our leaders saying that bail is rule and jail an exception,” said Bharadwaj.
Delhi minister Atishi said truth can be troubled but cannot be defeated. “….the BJP central government conspired against the Aam Aadmi Party and put many party leaders in jail. But after Manish Sisodia and Vijay Nair got bail, it is proved that truth can be troubled but cannot be defeated,” she said in a post on X.
Sisodia said Nair was “kept in jail for 23 months without any evidence or recovery.”
Posting on X Sisodia wrote, “Satyamev Jayate. Another bomb of BJP’s fabricated liquor scam story burst today. Vijay Nair was kept in jail for 23 months without any proof or any recovery. The only aim was – if we cannot stop Arvind Kejriwal in elections, then we should stop him and his entire team. Get him arrested by ED-CBI and keep him in jail. It may take time but in the end, truth always wins.”
AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak also wrote on X, “…..another BJP-fabricated liquor scam exposed. Vijay Nair was kept in jail for 23 months without any evidence, why? Just to stop Kejriwal? Truth always prevails.”
Hitting back at AAP, Delhi BJP said that the AAP should not celebrate as the bails have nothing to do with the merit of the cases.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Amit Tiwari said, “Under the judicial process every arrested person is eligible to get bail, more so after the filing of chargesheet if the court is satisfied that accused cannot influence the witness or case facts. Therefore, AAP leaders should not celebrate the granting of bail to Nair and Kumar as they have to face trial and surely conviction, as the case against them is too strong due to which they had to stay in jail for so long.”