File personal bond, Delhi HC suggests to Kejriwal

The Delhi High Court Tuesday suggested to former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal to furnish a personal bond and seek his release from jail and "not to make it a prestige issue".

A division bench of Justice Kailash Gambhir and Justice Sunita Gupta allowed senior advocate Shanti Bhushan and advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for Kejriwal to meet him in Tihar Jail and seek his instruction on the issue of filing personal bond.

The bench also asked Kejriwal not to make it as an issue of "prestige" and opined that he should first seek bail.

"Why are you taking (it) as a prestige? Don't make it a question of prestige. File your personal bond, seek his (Kejriwal) release today. We can direct it now. You take instructions from him," the court said and posted the matter post lunch Tuesday.

Kejriwal Monday moved a habeas corpus petition for his immediate release, saying he has been "illegally" sent to judicial custody on a "completely wrong premise of law" by the court's orders of May 21 and May 23.

He challenged a trial court order sending him to judicial custody.

Kejriwal is in judicial custody till June 6 after he refused to furnish a personal bond in a defamation case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nitin Gadkari.

He refused to pay the bail bond of Rs.10,000 and was sent to the Tihar Jail.

"Kejriwal has been illegally sent to judicial custody till June 6 for refusing to furnish the bail bond in a summon case on a private complaint even though it was not mandatory and he was ready to give a written undertaking," said the plea.

It added that in at least four different cases, such written undertakings were accepted by the courts.