Indian court orders release of opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal

September 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –

India’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered the release of the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Delhi, opposition politician Arvind Kejriwal, who has been imprisoned for six months for alleged fraud in the granting of liquor store licenses and which the politician denounces as a persecution orchestrated by the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The Aam Aadmi leader will now be able to leave prison despite not having been tried in the past half year. However, he will not be able to return to his office or sign documents without the approval of Delhi’s lieutenant governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena, according to reports collected by the Indian television channel NDTV.

Kejriwal was arrested as a “key conspirator” in a bribery case involving the alleged receipt of 10 million euros to benefit certain liquor distributors. His arrest sparked a wave of protests in Punjab state, where he has a majority in the legislative assembly.

In the past six months, he has only emerged from prison to vote in the general election that ended with a historic third term for Modi, although he now has to govern in coalition due to an unprecedented drop in popular support. The Delhi chief minister’s party won three seats, two more than in the 2019 elections.