NewDelhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices regarding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petitions seeking bail in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case related to the alleged Delhi Liquor Policy scam. Additionally, the court addressed Kejriwal’s challenge against his arrest by the CBI. Both petitions will be reviewed on August 23.
Senior Advocate Dr. A.M. Singhvi, appearing for Mr. Kejriwal, highlighted that Kejriwal had been granted interim bail on three occasions in a related money laundering case, despite the strict conditions of Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Singhvi referred to interim bail orders from May 10 and July 12 by the Supreme Court, as well as a trial court bail order from June 20, which was later stayed by the Delhi High Court.
Singhvi questioned why Kejriwal, who was granted bail under PMLA’s rigorous conditions, should be denied regular bail in the CBI case, noting that the Prevention of Corruption Act is less stringent. He described the CBI’s arrest on June 26 as an “insurance arrest,” occurring just before Kejriwal’s expected release from Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody.
Justice Surya Kant, in response to Singhvi’s request for interim bail, remarked, “We are not granting any interim bail.” Singhvi also requested an expedited hearing due to Kejriwal’s health issues, leading the court to schedule the next hearing for August 23.
Kejriwal’s latest petition to the Supreme Court, submitted by Advocate-on-Record Vivek Jain, challenges the Delhi High Court’s August 5 ruling, which upheld his CBI arrest but allowed him to seek bail from the trial court. Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26, 2024, while already in ED custody over the alleged liquor policy case.
Although the Supreme Court granted interim bail in the money laundering case on July 12, Kejriwal remained in judicial custody due to the CBI arrest. His bail plea was rejected by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna on August 5, but he was permitted to seek bail from the trial court. Dissatisfied with the High Court’s decision, Kejriwal has now appealed to the Supreme Court for relief.
