Today, On 20th July, Arvind Kejriwal’s custody extended until August 27 in connection with the excise policy case. The AAP national convener arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 for his alleged involvement in a money laundering case tied to the excise policy scam.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday extended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial custody until August 27 in connection with a corruption case related to the alleged excise scam, filed by the CBI.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Kejriwal’s custody after he was presented before the court via video conference, as his previous judicial custody period had expired. The court is also expected to review a supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Kejriwal on August 27.
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During Wednesday’s hearing, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the CBI regarding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal‘s petitions seeking bail and challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision to uphold his arrest in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan requested the CBI’s response by August 23 and denied Kejriwal’s request for interim bail.
When senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Arvind Kejriwal, requested interim bail on health grounds, the Supreme Court bench responded,
“We are not granting any interim bail. We issue notice.”
Singhvi argued that Kejriwal had been granted interim bail three times in the money laundering case, despite the strict provisions of Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He questioned how Kejriwal could be denied regular bail in the CBI case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, which does not have similarly stringent conditions, labelling Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI as an “insurance arrest.”
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On August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld Kejriwal’s arrest as “legal,” dismissing his plea challenging the arrest. The High Court noted that the CBI had acted only after gathering sufficient evidence and obtaining the necessary sanctions in April 2024. The court found no malice in the CBI’s actions, highlighting that Kejriwal could potentially influence witnesses, some of whom were only willing to testify after his arrest. The court emphasized that Kejriwal is not an ordinary citizen but a prominent figure, as a recipient of the Magsaysay Award and the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Kejriwal initially arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, 2024, in connection with a money laundering investigation related to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. Subsequently, on June 26, 2024, the CBI arrested him while he was still in ED custody.