The Delhi High Court on Wednesday stated that it would hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail plea in the corruption case related to the alleged excise policy scam on Friday.
The Delhi chief minister’s counsel urgently mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, who scheduled the hearing for July 5, 2024.
Appearing for Kejriwal, Advocate Rajat Bhardwaj argued that the applicant was taken into illegal custody without following the due procedure of law, prompting the bail plea filing.
Despite the counsel’s insistence on a Thursday hearing, the court stated, “Let the learned judge go through the papers. We will have it day after.”
CBI Arrest
On June 26, the Delhi chief minister was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from Tihar Jail, where he remains in judicial custody concerning a connected money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The AAP national convenor has already challenged his arrest in the CBI case, with the plea currently pending before the high court. The court had issued a notice, asking the CBI to file its reply while scheduling arguments for July 17.
Arvind Kejriwal, arrested by the ED on March 21, was granted bail by the trial court in the money laundering case on June 20. However, the high court stayed the trial court’s order.
Delhi Excise Scam
In 2022, the excise policy was scrapped following a CBI probe ordered by the Delhi lieutenant governor into alleged irregularities and corruption in its formulation and execution. As per both CBI and ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, with undue favors extended to the license holders.
