[BREAKING] Delhi Court Reserves Verdict In CBI's Request For 5-Day Remand Of CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Court Today (June 26th) reserves verdict in CBIs plea seeking 5 days remand of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. Court likely to pronounce order around 4:30 pm.

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[BREAKING] Delhi Court Reserves Verdict in CBI's Request for 5-Day Remand of CM Arvind Kejriwal | Court Order Around 4:30 pm — “Arvind Kejriwal’s Health Didn’t Stop Him From Campaigning”: ED tells Court

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has reserved its verdict on the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) plea seeking a five-day remand of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The court is expected to pronounce its order around 4:30 pm today.

Addressing the court in person, Kejriwal asserted,

“Maine aisa koi bayan nahi diya ki Sisodia doshi hai. Maine ye bayaaan diya hai ki AAP, Sisodia, mai nirdosh hun.” (I have never given any statement saying that Manish Sisodia is guilty. I have given a statement that the Aam Aadmi Party, Manish Sisodia, and I (Kejriwal) are not guilty.)

Earlier today, a Rouse Avenue court allowed the CBI to formally arrest Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The arrest followed an order passed by Special Judge Amitabh Rawat. The CBI is seeking a five-day custody of the chief minister.

Reacting to these developments, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) orchestrated Kejriwal’s arrest in a “fake case” due to fears that he might secure bail from the Supreme Court in a money laundering case.

In a post on X, the AAP stated,

“The dictator crossed all limits of cruelty!! Today when there was every possibility of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal getting bail, the BJP went into panic mode and got Kejriwal arrested by the CBI in a fake case.”

“The CBI took Kejriwal ji to Rouse Avenue Court where his blood sugar level dropped very low. Dictator, no matter how much oppression you inflict, Kejriwal will neither bow down nor break,”
–AAP added.

Kejriwal’s lawyer, Vikram Chaudhari, criticized the remand application as “totally vague,” calling it a classic case of abuse of power. He emphasized the need to apply the principles of Arnesh Kumar and Satinder Kumar Antil “in letter and spirit” in this case. Chaudhari further argued that although Kejriwal’s name appeared in nearly every chargesheet, the CBI maintained an “eerie silence.” He suggested that the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest indicated its illegality.

Chaudhari asserted that Kejriwal’s arrest violated Section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), calling it the “biggest abuse of process of law.” He described the arrest and remand request as “unscrupulous.” Reiterating Kejriwal’s innocence, he quoted the chief minister:

“I have never given any statement saying that Manish Sisodia is guilty. Sisodia is innocent, Aam Aadmi Party is innocent, I am innocent. This is their plan to defame us.”

In response, the CBI defended its actions.

“Where is the issue that we are arresting now? It’s because we were doing our exercise, in the two years the role and his lies have come in past. It’s not IOs decision to arrest, it has to go to the director level, it’s the agency’s call and not the IO’s,” said the CBI’s counsel.

Addressing the media speculation, the counsel added,

“Hum media k liye sources nahi hai. It shouldn’t come like that.”

The court, acknowledging the situation with a touch of humor, remarked,

“Aap itni jaldi source nahi banege” (You won’t become a source so quickly).

As the legal battle continues, the outcome of the court’s decision on the CBI’s plea for Kejriwal’s remand remains highly anticipated. The implications of this case are significant, affecting not only Kejriwal’s political career but also the broader political landscape in Delhi.

EARLIER IN COURT TODAY

The Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday permitted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to interrogate Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Special Judge Amitabh Rawat granted the CBI’s request to examine Kejriwal, leading to his formal arrest in the case.

The CBI’s investigation originated from a complaint lodged by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022. Earlier this week, the CBI recorded Kejriwal’s statement from jail and sought his production before the trial court today.

Kejriwal’s legal team expressed concerns about the lack of prior notification regarding the CBI’s application to the court.

“We got to know about this through media. We were not given the application (by CBI) or the order passed (by court),”

-stated Advocate Vivek Jain, representing Kejriwal.

Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari, also representing Kejriwal, emphasized,

“The manner in which this has been done is of grave concern. Please allow us the access to the documents and defer this hearing to tomorrow.”

However, the CBI maintained that its investigative prerogative does not require informing the accused in advance.

“The law does not say that I have to tell them when I want to go and investigate him. The same thing happened in the case of K Kavitha. I only need the court’s permission. I am seeking permission because he is in my lord’s custody. To investigate or not is my prerogative,”

-argued CBI counsel DP Singh.

The court noted that since the accused was in judicial custody, the CBI sought permission to question him.

“Since the accused was in judicial custody, they sought permission to question him. He has not been formally arrested so far,”

-the Court remarked.

Chaudhari contended that no notice under Section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was issued to Kejriwal for questioning.

“If My lords allow them to arrest him (Kejriwal), my lords will be allowing their shoulders to be used as a gun to shoot him. If My lords give them the permission to arrest, my lords will effectively be sanctifying the remand,”

– he argued.

The Court acknowledged the need for justification in the arrest, remarking,

“I agree that they will have to justify the arrest.”

Chaudhari reiterated his request for prior notice before any application is approved, emphasizing the need for a proper reply.

“To deny me an opportunity of effective hearing by not putting me to notice first denies me of my fundamental rights. Give me a chance to file a proper reply. I will file it today, have the hearing first thing in the morning tomorrow,”

-he submitted.

Singh argued that there was no pending application since the CBI’s plea had already been approved by the court.

“There is no application pending as of now. What does he want? I will prepare my grounds of arrest and will come back then my lords will see how to proceed. My remand application doesn’t have to be given on advance notice. It has never been done,”

-he stated.

The court decided to proceed with the process, indicating that the material for Kejriwal’s arrest would be placed on record.

“He (CBI counsel) says he will place on record the material that they have for his arrest. After that, I will hear you (Chaudhari). We will give you the copies of the documents that you want. We will pass a judicial order,”

-the Court said.

Kejriwal is currently in jail concerning a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy of 2021-22. He was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case.

The Delhi CM is accused of being part of a conspiracy to intentionally leave loopholes in the policy to benefit specific liquor sellers, with the kickbacks allegedly used by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to fund their elections in Goa. The ED’s money laundering probe stemmed from the CBI case registered on August 17, 2022, regarding alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy.

Despite the CBI registering the case, the ED was the first to arrest Kejriwal. He was granted bail by the trial court in the ED case on June 20, but the Delhi High Court stayed the same on June 25. The Supreme Court is slated to hear Kejriwal’s appeal against the High Court order today.

This case continues to unfold, with significant implications for Delhi’s political landscape and the functioning of its government. The ongoing legal proceedings and investigations will be closely watched as they progress.