India: Top Court Grants Bail to Key Modi Rival

• Amid India's ongoing general election, the country's Supreme Court on Friday granted bail until June 1 to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a key rival to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was arrested in a corruption case in March. Scroll.in
• The court dismissed the opposition to his bail by India's Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had arrested him on corruption charges related to Delhi's liquor policy. reuters.com
• The court ordered the former anti-corruption advocate to surrender days before the result of the Indian election is declared on June 4, allowing him to campaign until then. BBC News
• The court has questioned the timing of Kejriwal's arrest by the Modi government-controlled ED right before the election. Delhi votes on May 25. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
• The ED, which has accused Kejriwal’s party and ministers of taking $12M in bribes, opposed his bail saying it sets different standards for politicians and others. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)

Narrative A:

• Modi's government is using agencies to target opposition leaders and disrupt election campaigns. The government's coercive tactics suggest a power struggle to dominate the political landscape, prompting concerns over authoritarian tendencies and the need for public vigilance to safeguard democratic principles.
  THE WIRE

Narrative B:

• Claims of India turning into an autocracy are misleading. The judicial process is evidence-based, regardless of a person's public status. The opposition's support for Kejriwal, despite serious allegations against him, is merely a political strategy amid elections. Shun the victimhood narrative and focus on legal procedures.
  FIRSTPOST

Nerd narrative:

• There is a 50% chance that India's score will be 6.324 in the Democracy Index in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)