Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court granted permission on Wednesday for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to formally arrest Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
Kejriwal was arrested following the order of Special Judge Amitabh Rawat.
The central investigative agency filed the application after the AAP leader was brought before the court from Tihar central jail.
The AAP convenor is currently incarcerated in connection with a money laundering case related to the now-defunct Delhi excise policy of 2021-22.
Kejriwal was apprehended on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to exploit loopholes in the policy to favor specific liquor vendors. It is alleged that kickbacks from this arrangement were utilized by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for their electoral activities in Goa.
The ED’s investigation into money laundering originated from a case filed by the CBI on August 17, 2022, regarding purported irregularities in the Delhi excise policy. Although Kejriwal was granted bail by the trial court in the ED case on June 20, the Delhi High Court subsequently stayed the bail on June 25, 2024.
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