Shanti Bhushan tried to prod Kejriwal to accept bail

As AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal returned home late on Tuesday evening, it was left to senior advocate Shanti Bhushan to go to Tihar jail and convince the jailed leader to sign the personal bail bond to walk out of prison.

The jailed AAP chief accepted the suggestion of the Delhi High Court to furnish a personal bond for getting bail in a criminal defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

"After the court's suggestion, knowing Arvind's hard stance on the issue and also his nature, Shanti Bhushan persisted that he met him in the Tihar Jail to convince him.

"Accordingly, Shanti Bhushan and (his son and AAP leader) Prashant Bhushan and (senior lawyer and AAP's Ludhiana candidate) H S Phoolka, met Kejriwal in Tihar Jail in the afternoon to discuss the court's suggestion," said an AAP leader.

Even when the Bhushans and Phoolka went to the jail to explain him about the court's suggestion, Kejriwal is learnt to have declined the suggestion of signing the personal bond.

Shanti Bhushan, 88-year-old lawyer who is also considered as the patron of the party, told Kejriwal that the court was willing to hear him out, which itself was a big thing after which the AAP leader agreed to furnish a bond.

"It was only after the coaxing by Shantiji (Bhushan) who asked him not to stretch the matter further that Arvind (Kejriwal) relented," the AAP leader said.

Later in the evening, Kejriwal was released from jail and returned to his Tilak Lane residence after a gap of 7 days. He was sent to jail on May 21. He was greeted by his supporters when he came out of the jail.