Constitutional Morality Requires That Arvind Kejriwal Should Quit: Justice Madan Lokur
Former Judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Madan Lokur has said that the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal should resign based on constitutional morality but acknowledged that legally, he deserves bail based on the available facts in the public domain.
Justice Lokur was asked, “Do you believe that a government can be run out of jail or will the courts have to now intervene and set some guidelines in your view?”
He responded, “I think constitutional morality requires that Mr Kejriwal should quit, all right, that's constitutional morality. But well, if he chooses- 'I don't care about constitutional morality I'm going to run the government' there's nothing to stop him. I mean so many people are violating constitutional morality, Governors have been accused of violating constitutional morality. So if he says I'm going to violate it, so what?”
Justice Lokur was speaking in an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai on the India Today channel.
He expressed concerns over the handling of Kejriwal's case, commonly referred to as the Delhi liquor policy scam. Justice Lokur criticized the Enforcement Directorate (ED), stating that their actions appear to be an abuse of power, exceeding their authority. He questioned the prolonged investigation period, the necessity of arrests, and the denial of bail to the accused.
Regarding the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Justice Lokur highlighted its alleged draconian aspects, including the reversal of the presumption of innocence and the subjective interpretation of "reason to believe" for arrests. He emphasized the need for clarity and objectivity in its application to prevent misuse.
Justice Lokur raised concerns about the selective targeting of political opponents and urged for greater judicial oversight to ensure procedural adherence and protection of civil liberties. He called for an immediate review of the PMLA and stressed the importance of upholding constitutional principles.
