The Delhi High Court has reserved its decision on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s pleas challenging his arrest by the CBI in the excise policy case and seeking interim bail.
The proceedings, conducted on a holiday due to Muharram, involved arguments from Kejriwal’s legal team and the CBI.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna heard the arguments from senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who criticized the arrest as an “insurance arrest” intended to prevent Kejriwal from being released from jail.
Singhvi argued that Kejriwal had received 3 release orders in his favor in the ED case under stringent provisions, indicating his entitlement to release, and asserted that Kejriwal, being the Chief Minister of Delhi, was not a terrorist and should be granted bail.
Advocate DP Singh, representing the CBI, opposed Kejriwal’s pleas, rejecting the notion of the arrest being an “insurance arrest” as unjustified.
Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar Jail, where he remains in judicial custody in a related money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Kejriwal was initially arrested by the ED on March 21 and granted bail by the trial court on June 20, but the trial court’s order was stayed by the high court.
On July 12, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case.
The excise policy in question was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption in its formulation and execution. The CBI and ED allege that the policy was modified with irregularities and undue favors extended to license holders.
The high court has scheduled further arguments on Kejriwal’s regular bail plea for July 29.
