The Delhi High Court on Friday called for a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding the bail application submitted by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently embroiled in an alleged excise policy scam.
Presided over by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, the court has scheduled the next hearing for July 17th. This development comes after Kejriwal, represented by Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, was denied the opportunity to present his bail plea directly at the trial court, prompting a direct appeal to the High Court.
Singhvi argued that the Chief Minister poses no flight risk and highlighted the redundancy of his continued detention, stating, “He is not a terrorist.” This statement was in response to Kejriwal’s arrest following a recent bail grant in a connected money laundering case pursued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Opposing the bail, Advocate DP Singh, representing the CBI, emphasized procedural concerns, critiquing Kejriwal’s decision to bypass the trial court for his bail application.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was initially taken into custody by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar Jail, where he was held in connection to a money laundering case filed by the ED. Despite being granted bail by a trial court on June 20 in the ED case, a subsequent stay on this order by the High Court has prolonged his detention.
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The controversy centers around the Delhi excise policy, which was discontinued in 2022 following a directive from the Delhi Lieutenant Governor for a CBI investigation into alleged discrepancies and corrupt practices in its formulation and implementation. Both the CBI and ED contend that the policy modifications benefitted certain licensees inappropriately, pointing to a significant breach of legal and ethical conduct.
