The CBI arrested Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on June 26 while he was in judicial custody related to a money laundering case investigated by the ES in connection with the excise policy scam.
The Supreme Court is set to deliver its judgment on a plea filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking bail and challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
The verdict, expected tomorrow, will be pronounced by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, who had reserved their decision on September 5.
Kejriwal moved two petitions before the apex court: one challenging the legality of his arrest by the CBI and another seeking bail. His plea to the Delhi High Court was dismissed on August 5, with the court directing him to approach the trial court for bail. This prompted Kejriwal to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.
The CBI arrested Kejriwal on June 26 while he was in judicial custody related to a money laundering case investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the same scandal. The charges against Kejriwal stem from alleged irregularities in the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy, which has since been scrapped.
The investigation agencies allege that Kejriwal and several other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders deliberately crafted loopholes in the policy to receive kickbacks from liquor lobbies. These funds were reportedly used to finance the AAP’s election campaign in Goa. Both the CBI and the ED are investigating the case.
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Kejriwal was first arrested by the ED on March 21 and was later granted interim bail by the Supreme Court. However, he remained in custody due to his subsequent arrest by the CBI. He directly approached the Delhi High Court for bail instead of the trial court, which is the conventional route.
During the hearing on September 5, the CBI contended that Kejriwal should have initially approached the trial court for bail and argued that his release could lead to tampering with evidence and hinder the ongoing investigation into the excise policy case. The CBI further argued that granting bail to Kejriwal could undermine the Delhi High Court’s authority.
Several other prominent figures involved in the case, including AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, communications head Vijay Nair, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha, have been granted bail by the Supreme Court recently.
