A Delhi court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal until August 20 in connection with a case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concerning the state’s now-scrapped excise policy.
The extension follows the Delhi High Court’s recent decision to uphold Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI related to the alleged excise policy scam. Kejriwal was initially taken into custody by the CBI on June 26 while already detained in Tihar Jail due to a related money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Kejriwal had previously been arrested by the ED on March 21 and was granted bail by the trial court in the money laundering case on June 20.
The excise policy at the centre of the controversy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor called for a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in its formulation and execution. The CBI and ED have alleged that the policy was modified in a manner that resulted in irregularities and undue favours being extended to licence holders.
